MEA

Philosopher Albert Borgmann talks about the experience of being fully alive in the world as moments when: (1) There is no place I would rather be. (2) There is no one I would rather be with. (3) There is nothing I would rather be doing. (4) And this I will remember well

This is the title of our free upcoming online event with Father Richard Rohr, one of the best-known modern-day Christian mystics. Mark your calendars: May 31. Richard is based in New Mexico, so I've had the honor of becoming his friend. On multiple occasions, he's visited our Saddleback Ranch, which will be our first Santa Fe area campus.

In 2018, I received a text message from a trusted friend that went something like, “Would you be interested in attending an academy for midlifers…in Baja?”

Those internet gods who know me better than I know myself served up a recent piece of content that seemed well-suited: a CNBC story on a retiree who loves Mexico because everything is so cheap.

I remember thinking that changing jobs would make me happy. Then once I changed jobs, I thought changing relationships would do the trick. Then it was moving to a new city.

I can still taste the feeling when I departed MEA in early December: the sense of connection with my fellow compadres; the burgeoning sense of possibility; the openness to new frontiers. I departed in a mild state of euphoria. My boundaries were lowered and I was ready to step into a rejuvenated mental framework about life in “middlessence,” and all it could offer. The flavor was sweet.

The waves came rushing up around us at about the same time all of our phones started blowing up. I had been on a sailboat, learning to sail in the Sea of Cortez (bucket list, checked!) and we were coming back after 5 days with almost no cell service.

Why do I admire this man, who passed away at age 95 back in 2005? The answer is simple: Peter Drucker epitomized the ultimate “modern elder,” someone as curious as he was wise.

After two years of being cooped-up, it’s time to fly. We hope you’ll consider joining us in Baja for an MEA workshop this spring.

Of course, all life is real, but this turn of phrase is so apt, because of the numerous restrictions of movement, and consequently our limited human engagement, to which most of us have been subjected the past two years.