Poignant and humorous insights on fully embracing our lives as we age from Susan Moon, beloved Buddhist teacher and author.

Aging isn't easy. But it can still be filled with joy--maybe even more joy than we expect. Described by the New York Journal of Books as "a Buddhist Anne Lamott," Zen teacher and writer Susan Moon persuades us that as we notice we are impermanent, we get to come alive in new ways. Joining levity with tenderness, Moon shares stories from her own life on topics including knee replacements, Zoom chats with grandchildren, ongoing companionship with a close friend who is moving deeper into dementia, and a season as a Zen monk in the wilderness. Moon illustrates the strength that can come from within, sometimes unexpectedly, even as our bodies fail. Our radiant aliveness can be discovered and rediscovered any time up to the last moment.

Alive Until You're Dead offers a Zen approach to facing our impermanence. Moon's stories explore being present with what is, not turning away from what's difficult, wishing for and working for the wellbeing of others, and being willing not to know what's next. These field notes from an old human being invite us to feel more alive in the final stretch, whatever it holds.

Alive Until You're Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch, Susan Moon, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 208 pages, $17.95

SUSAN MOON is a writer, editor, and Buddhist teacher in the Soto Zen tradition. For many years she has taught and led Zen retreats nationally and internationally. Her books include This Is Getting Old: Zen Thoughts on Aging with Humor and Dignity; the groundbreaking collection, The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women, with Florence Caplow; and What Is Zen? with Norman Fischer. Her most recent book, Alive Until You�re Dead: Notes on the Home Stretch, is a collection of essays about the surprising perks of mortality. Susan is a contributor to Lion�s Roar, Tricycle, and other publications. She lives in Berkeley, California, and practices at the Berkeley Zen Center and the Everyday Zen Sangha. She adores her grandchildren.

CONTENTS: Alive Until You're Dead
Introduction	ix
Joyful Effort	1
Watcher at the Gate	11
Getting Over Myself in the Monastery	21
Make Your Body a Sundial	37
Knowing How to Be Satisfied	43
We Will Be Ancestors, Too	53
Friendship Abides	63
Could I Be the Teacher They Expected?	76
Going and Coming	86
If I Can Still Love	91
Will I Ever Wake Up?	108
Grandma's Diary Sutra	117
Some of My Favorite Practices for Contemplating Death	141
The Sorting Sisters	154
Sentient Beings Are Numberless, I Vow to Save Them	165
The Great Matter	172
Tears	181
Meeting the Final Deadline	190
Acknowledgments	201
Credits and Permissions	203
About the Author	205