ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A LL BOOKS UNFOLD in mysterious ways, as they are a tapestry of influences and interconnections. There are many threads in Aging with Wisdom : ancestors, friends, family, teachings, books, council circles, conversations, and many more. Undoubtedly, life itself has been the main inspiration.
For a journey that started almost fifty years ago, my deepest gratitude to all my dharma teachers, starting with Vipassana, evolving through a devotional tradition from India, to my Tibetan Buddhist teachers. Their inspiration and wisdom has influenced my life beyond measure.
With delight and deepest thanks, I acknowledge my immediate family, Ethan and Elise Hoblitzelle, Laura and Randy Bak, and my four grandsons. They provide more love and support than they will ever know.
As weve moved into the later years, my three siblings grow ever closer: loving thanks go to Oakes, Ned, and Joanie and their respective spouses Louise Ames and Jane Sokolow. Given the nature of this book, I want to express deep gratitude for our parents Amyas Ames and Evelyn Perkins Ames whose vivid, creative, and loving lives touched mine in countless ways. Because we spent so much formative time with grandparentsand two appear in the bookI would like to name them: my Danish grandmother Olga Flinck and Henry Perkins, Blanche Ames and Oakes Ames. A bow of gratitude to four remarkable people.
Heartfelt gratitude to my three longtime circles, each one a treasure of connection and wisdom: the Self-Ordination Circlestill meeting after eighteen years: Louise Cochran, Ilona OConner, Demaris Wehr, and Ann Dunlap; the Campers group with Ferris Urbanowsky Buck, Judith Abbott Laskaris, and Islene Runningdeer; and the Wednesday meditation group with Emerson Stamps, Donna Svrluga, Richard Griffin, Charles Busch, and my late husband Hob.
Given how the gifts of friendship inspire our lives, I want to acknowledge those who are connected to the evolution of the book: Jeff Scannell, Sam Black, Peter Forbes, Helen Whybrow, Robert Jonas, Margaret Bullit-Jonas, Linda Coe, Sam Fisk, Anne Nash, Joan Diver, Nigelle de Visme, Monique Pommier, Shannon Gilligan, Anne Burling, Penny Gill, Paula Green, Jim Perkins, Nyia Yannatos, Wendy Garling, and Debbie Roberts. Although no longer with us, their presence is very much in this book: Natalie Rogers, Alice Howell, Polly Starr, Ray Montgomery, Margot Wilkie, Emerson Stampsbeloved all.
Warm thanks to my agent Stephanie Tade with whom I loved working even though the book found its place via an unexpected route.
Although I have always hesitated to work professionally with friends, thank heavens I made an exception with dear friend and master editor Arnie Kotler. With his sensitivity and skill, he nudged me into further needed improvements, provided continuous support, and ultimately introduced me to Paul Cohen, my publisher. For earlier editing, thanks to Jeanne Braham.
It has been a joy to work with Paul Cohen, Publisher of Monkfish Book Publishing Company, who is dedicated to bringing out cutting edge, spiritually oriented books, and his associate Colin Rolfe who designed the book. Filled with wonder at all you do, my hearty thanks to you both.
To Margaret Harding, miracle worker, wizard, and saint, Im not sure any amount of thanks will do the trick. She and I know how many rabbits she pulled out of that proverbial hat. Also Sarah Oinonen whose warmhearted presence and many skills helped in countless ways. Warmest thanks to Mary Greer; most of the book was written in an alcove in her house.
Barbara McCollough and I have been task companions for over twenty yearsan exceptional relationship and marvel to us both. Her support, feedback, and love are measureless. Special thanks also go to Prajna Lisa Hallstrom, Demaris Wehr, and several others who read parts of the book at different stages and provided valuable feedback. For those whom I have forgotten to name, know that my appreciation is still there!
Finally, my partner Keith Taylor has been a stalwart and loving support throughout. I thank him for everything but above all for his boundless heartthe greatest gift of all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
O LIVIA AMES HOBLITZELLE, a writer and teacher, was formerly the Associate Director of the Mind/Body Clinic and a Teaching Fellow of the Mind/Body Medical Institute, where she pioneered how to bring meditation, yoga, and cognitive behavioral therapy into the medical domain to treat stress-related and chronic illness. She and her team developed one of the first training programs in Mind/Body medicine in the country and trained health professionals under the auspices of Harvard Medical School.
Formerly a therapist in private practice and a Co-Director of Greenhouse, an alternative mental health collective, Olivia worked with individuals, couples, and groups. She also spent years serving as a Hospice volunteer.
Olivias teaching and writing are inspired by over forty years of practice in psychology, Buddhist meditation, and other wisdom traditions. In addition to her roots in Christianity, she has practiced primarily Vipassana (Insight Meditation) and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as in a devotional tradition from India.
Having taught contemplative practices in a wide variety of settings such as government agencies, hospitals, churches, businesses, school systems, and meditation centers, she is currently focusing on conscious aging, elder issues, and living the contemplative life.
Her award-winning book, Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows: A Couples Journey Through Alzheimers , is a narrative memoir of how she and her husband handled his illness, drawing inspiration from their background in Buddhist practice.
Now an elder with two grown children and four grandsons, she lives in Massachusetts and loves to spend time in Vermont where she grows vegetables, welcomes family and friends, and steeps herself in the glories of nature.
CONCLUSION
I T WAS A simple phrase mentioned in passing. My friend Helen was leaving to visit her mother, who was showing signs of early dementia, as yet undiagnosed. Shes in uncharted territory, said my friend. My sister and Iwere all in uncharted territory.
The phrase uncharted territory stayed with me, a fitting description for the unknown realms of the late years and our efforts to live those years as consciously and wisely as we can. As I intuited the feelings behind Helens words, I was reminded of those many instances when Hobs unraveling mind left us both trying to fathom the mysteries of dementiasometimes lost, always searching. Understanding Alzheimers and support for caregivers were still relatively new fields, and I would feel overwhelmed each time I encountered his latest loss, unexpected behavior, or confused effort to communicate. I would think about the countless others who were dealing with similar situations, equally challenged, and lost in the uncharted territory of aging and dementia. Were all in this together, so how do we get through?
The impetus to write Aging with Wisdom arose in part from the challenges of having both my mother and Hob ravaged by Alzheimers, but my feelings go far beyond my own circumstances. Aging in an age-phobic culture is challenging. We need guidance and roadmaps. Ive had my antennae out for years, looking and feeling my way. Aging with Wisdom offers highlights along this journey, the fruits of that search, propelled by my passion to pass along what I have found helpful, even lifesaving.
Every guide wants to make sure their fellow travelers have received the most important coordinates for reading the map. Surprisingly, several key guidelines appeared through the agency of a dream. We can listen to the messages of our dreams, especially landmark dreams that offer powerful, archetypal images that address our issues, known and unknown. As I was completing Aging with Wisdom , I had a dream that bears an uncanny relationship to the subjects that I had been writing about.
