Paul Lipton - Hour of the Wolf: An Experiment in Ageless Living

****

Advance Praise for Paul LiptonsHour of the Wolf

Hour of The Wolf is one of thewisest, most profound, and accessible books I have ever read on thepreciousness of time and the ability we have been given to be theartists of own lives. Read this book if you want to fearlessly facethe awe inspiring truth that you can be the hero of your own life!Read this book if you want to live every day with more meaning,purpose, compassion, vitality and love. Be prepared to never againbe asleep while awake and to have many a good night sleep. PaulLipton is a storyteller and wisdom teacher extraordinaire, and hisbook is one of amazing grace. You will finish Hour of theWolf, take a deep breath, say thank you, and never live thesame way again.

Rabbi Irwin Kula, author ofYearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life

Hour of the Wolf riveted ourattention from the very beginning. Though his life story isuniqueas are all of oursPaul unerringly and bravely pulls out ofhis magic hat of life experience just what it is that we can see,and must not look away from, if we are to live our lives with afull measure of wholehearted presence, awareness, wonderment, andyes, even joy. Authentic and compassionate, Hour of the Wolfinspires, provokes, and is unerringly profound. Read this bookandmake sure you begin after midnight!

Nan Moss and David Corbin, authors ofWeather Shamanism: Harmonizing Our Connection with theElements

Hour of the Wolf will provide thesame sparks of inspiration to Paul Liptons readers that knowingthe man behind the book has done for me. Like a true rebel, herefuses to act his ageor even my age. He is ageless! He offers apowerful, uplifting, and timely message.

Stephen Gibb, musician/songwriter,CrossFit coach, and entrepreneur

Paul Lipton has turned his personalemotional and intellectual journey into a thought-provoking primeron how to confront and make positive the inevitability ofaging.

BarryRichard, a principal shareholder atGreenberg Traurig, one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers inAmerica ( National Law Journal, 2006)

Through the beautiful rendering of his ownlifes journey, Paul Liptons stories become our stories and thetimeless insights he shares illuminate a path upon which we are allwalking. Those among us inspired to live courageously and loveendlessly will find Hour of the Wolf to be a cherishedcompanion.

Scott L.Rogers, founder and director of theMindfulness in Law Program, University of Miami School of Law, andauthor of Mindful Parenting and Mindfulness for LawStudents

This book is about a day;not about any particular day but about every particular day. Mr. Liptoneloquently reminds us that no day can ever be recaptured, and thatevery day can either be experienced or squandered. The bookdescribes a truth which warrants the attention of everyone, everyday.

Arthur J. England,Jr., former chief justice of theFlorida Supreme Court

Hour of the Wolf is an inspirationnot only to live our lives fully and unapologetically, with freedomto shift gears or change directions at any point, but also areminder to share our stories with future generations.
Craig Borders, TV producer and director

****

Copyright 2013 by Paul Lipton. All rightsreserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by anymeanselectronic, mechanical, or otherwithout written permissionfrom the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote briefpassages in a review. For permission contact:Theagelessexperiment@gmail.com.

Mulberry Harbor Press

2525 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite E4-812

Boulder, Colorado 80302

Website: TheAgelessExperiment.com

Email: Theagelessexperiment@gmail.com

Editing: Stephanie Gunning

Cover and interior design: Gus Yoo

978-0-9890910-0-8 (paperback)

978-0-9890910-1-5 (ebook)

1. Personal memoir 2. Aging 3. Inspiration& personal growth 4. Happiness

5. Family relationships 6. Parenting 7.Grandparenting 8. Health & fitness

****

To Margie

****

CONTENTS

The Midnight Mind

The Flipping Coin

Rocky Mountain National Park

In Search of Larry

Each Day (or 500 SaturdayNights)

Blue Sky/Purple Sky

The Mask

The Hero

How Does the Hero Live in aNon-heroic Age?

Age and the Wolf

The Green Dragon

100 Percent of 100 Percent

The Gates

Hope and the Wolf

There Is Always a High Noon

The Rhino

The Mulberry Harbors, theCreative Mind, and the Ghost Army

The Ice Fields and theLesson

The Death and the Birth of theWarrior

The Five Decisions

The Hole Inside the Hole

The Ageless Experiment

****

We can only be said to bealive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of ourtreasures.

Thornton Wilde

****

The Midnight Mind

One day. Once gone, it is gone forever. Itcan never be recaptured.

Although it may look the same as the next,each day stands alone. Who we meet, when we meet them, what issaid, how it is said, and how we view it, separates each day fromthe next. The same people, even if they meet in the same office atthe same time day after day, are not the same from day to day.Their moods are different. The news of the day affects theirreactions. Experiences from the night before are enough to changethe energy in the room. What was eaten or drunk changes it all.

The days of each passing year spin away asif on a roulette wheel. The passing of time builds momentum. Welook around and it is New Years Eve again, and then, in what seemslike a moment, it is Presidents Day, then summer. SuddenlyThanksgiving is here and another year ends.

It didnt seem to be this way as we weregrowing up. Then, summer nights were filled with romance and dreamsof tomorrow. But as we are simply living our lives and more andmore years go by, it is common to start feeling a sense of loss.Eventually it starts to register that moments are slipping away. Atfirst, there is just a sense of subconscious unease, some knowingthat time is running out of the hourglass. Then there is aconscious understanding that we have choices to make with the timewe have left. We know the randomness of life can wipe out ourbest-laid plans in an instant.

We are generally too busy to focus ourattention on the meaning of one mere twenty-four-hour period. Yet,choices are made every day. Each days decisions change our livesand the lives of the people around us. One turn left or right maymake all the difference. If we turn the car left at the corner anda stranger driving another car changes her mind at the last secondand decides to go straight instead of turning right, even as herblinker continues to flash for a right turn, a collision can occur.We cant control others actions. Though there appear to beguidelines, statutes, regulations, and even traffic signals inplace, people so often act without regard to any of them. Whetherthose rules are obeyed can change randomly and without warning.

What can happen in any one moment in timehas always interested me. In fact, time itself has alwaysfascinated me. Growing up, I used to love staring at an hourglassand watching the sand pour from one side to the other, representinga minute or an hour slipping away. But as I got older, thedifference between the time gone and the time left to me began toweigh on me. I had become so used to my routine that I was livingrobotically.