Love at First Read

My first encounter with Taoism was at the age of 17, following a nearly fatal, highly traumatic, car accident. It had taken a year for depression to hit, as I was so focused on healing physically, and catching up in school, that I pretty much had to be in denial and over-focused on the positive.  And when depression hit, I didn't want to take medication. So my accupuncturist recommended a book called "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford. I loved learning about nutrition from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Five Element Theory perspective. I loved the concepts of Yin and Yang. I loved the thought of letting nature be my guide. I wanted to learn more, and so I turned to a book called "The Tao of Health, Sex, and Longevity" by Daniel P. Reid. And I was hooked. Totally in love with Taoism. I yearned to be a Taoist hermit and in my college Chinese Philosophy course, I wrote about the challenges of practicing taoism while still in college. I actually came to the conclusion that I needed to get more doing, doing doing out of my system; I hadn't yet grasped the concepts of balance, harmony, and middle path. And so to some extent I abandoned Taoism, though still resonated with it and thought of it frequently. Somehow I had convinced myself that deeply immersing myself in the study and practice of taoism was not appropriate at that time in my life, at least not if I wanted to enjoy and participate in all the things that college had to offer. And yet, I still didn't enjoy or participate in many things. It was as if I couldn't fully embrace one way or the other way of being. Caught somewhere in the middle, but not on the middle path. On and off one path and then the other. Alternating. Going from one extreme to another.....

Thirteen years have passed since I was first introduced to Taoism. Last week I picked up this book that had been sitting on my shelf: "The Tao of Inner Peace." I had a feeling I should take it with me on this trip I was about to take. And as I started reading it on the plane, as I started contemplating the quotes and affirmations, and the self-assessments that the author, Diane Dreher, provides, I felt I'd been reunited with a first love, and I felt that the time was right, now, to continue on this path, to rededicate myself to an exploration of the tao and te of me. And to document it, and so I am, here in this blog.

My intention is to read the book slowly, really take my time with it, and share my reflections here. And so I will. For as long as it feels right, as long as it's in alignment. Excited and curious to see how this all unfolds! For all I know, this and the other one I'm about to post, will be my only entries!