Wisdom

My late teen utopism didn’t lead me to Marx. I read Rand. Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and other libertarian manifestos that fed my belief that rugged individualism made the world a better place.

I live on a “calle sin nombre” (a street with no name) in a town with no cul de sacs. But, our rural, beachfront ‘hood and MEA program welcomes mid-lifers who are often stuck in a “career cul de sac.” It’s joyous when our “compadres” (students) get to mix with our vecinos (neighbors).

Lately I've been thinking a lot about exploring edges. Edges are where wisdom is found. Some edges we are more familiar with: the edge of a table, or the edge use case for a new product you're putting into the market, or even the edge of your own comfort zone in a new relationship or in a new job.

Krista Tippett’s podcast “On Being” is one of my top three listening pleasures when I shuffle down our three-mile beach here in El Pescadero with my AirPods on and Jamie frolicking in the waves beside me.

I have a confession to make. I don’t have the world’s best breath. It’s not camel breath. It won’t drop you to your knees. But by no stretch of the imagination is it inviting, which explains why, in my house, I tend to get the cheek much more than the lips.

Happy Father’s Day! In an ocean of data and podcasts, there are often purely puddles of insight. And when it comes to Wisdom, there are precious few well-regarded podcasts to be found. Of course, there are exceptions, and one of the best is called “On Wisdom.”

One of our MEA alums said to me recently “brain overwhelmed, heart underprepared” for the past few months. And, that was before this past week’s unjust demise of George Floyd and the aftermath. Let’s do some wisdom “after-math.” Let’s recognize an intractable pattern of police racial abuse as evidenced in this Washington Post article.

This piece of wisdom floated up to me, although the author is unknown. I wanted to share with you because it reminds me a little bit of my post “Where’s Your Gumption?”

Smart people know how to use their brains. Wise people also know how to use their brains, but they aren’t trapped between their ears. Wise people know how to integrate their brain and body with their gut, heart, and soul. Fortunately, the last three escape solitary confinement starting in midlife.

Like ‘Elder’, the Crone is another archetype ripe for discovery and a reframe, in these modern times. As I hit my late 40s, I found Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to be an incomplete, and at times overly gendered fit for my own wandering journey through the decades. I wondered if there was a Heroine’s Journey?