As I enjoy the magnificent colors bedecking the trees these days, I am reminded that autumn is here. It is also a reminder of the inevitability of change, death, and transformation. Eventually, all the colorful leaves must let go of the branches, just as one day, we must all release from this earthly existence!
Speaking of change, there are two healthy signs of change I've discovered recently that I'd like to call your attention to: One is a book by a physician Pauline Chen entitled Final Exam (a Borzoi Book, 2007). I havde just started to read this book, but not only is it a good read, it promises to be the best (and only!) book I've read by a surgeon so far. Pauline gives us an "inside view" of medical school and doctors' training such that we learn why death is handled the way it is in hospitals and the health care system today. This in turn makes me think of Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi who says that it's only in the last 100 years that death and birth have been "pathologized" by having been taken into the hospital.
The other is a movie I read about in Parade Magazine. It's called The Bucket List and will be coming out this Christmas. It stars Morgan Freeman, a mechanic who befriends Jack Nicholson, a billionaire. The interesting twist is that they both receive a terminal cancer diagnosis. Bob Reiner has said about the film: "It's not a downer;" rather, "It's about living your life and finding joy." Hmmm... sounds a bit like my book, don't you think?!?
Enjoy autumn -- with all it's colors, changes, and transforming life! dancing heart
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