Henri Matisse, Icarus, 1947
(March 6, 2019) I canʼt remember where I heard of this book or what made me want to read it... I obviously went for it because it is a very short text and I have been desperate these last two years to read at least one book a month.And I donʼt know why this took me so long, a full five months, to read... itʼs only 186 tiny pages, and itʼs the gentlest little guidebook ever.
It was a bit surprising actually -- for the plupart, it seems to be about this “ikigai” concept, being aware of your special gifts and predilections. It describes life in philosophical terms not unlike an Oprah book. It seems to be very spiritually oriented.
But two-thirds or so of the way in, it becomes a real practical advice / guidebook, with references to all kinds of studies of longevity and what has been learned medically and scientifically about long life. Suddenly I felt like I was reading the 5:2 Diet books or Frank Lipman, etc.
The authors infantilized the seniors in Ogimi a little bit.
Here are the Okinawa superfoods: tofu, miso, tuna, carrots, goya, kombu, cabbage, nori, onion, soy sprouts, hechima, sweet potato, peppers, sanpin-cha (jasmine tea).
I want to start drinking the jasmine green tea, and to find radio taiso exercises, and to do a sun salutation every day. But the ikigai part? ...uh, okkkkkk
