“I see so much more now,” said Arthur, a mid-fifties software engineer who participated in my research on the inevitable shifts that occur in our adult lives. What struck me about his statement was that Arthur had a degenerative eye condition that left him 100% sight impaired.

There’s a well-known fishing term called “catch and release.” You catch the fish and then release it back into the water, allowing it to live another day. The essence of fishing lies not in killing but in the act of catching. Some people apply the “catch and release” philosophy to their dating life, prioritizing the thrill of catching a hot date over committing to a long-term relationship.

At 26, the world was my oyster. To be explored with bluster and boister.

A friend of mine recently called me this term. She said that religion and spirituality are just a means of communication with the divine, and there are multiple languages for doing that. She told me that a “spiritual pluralist” believes that all of these languages are perfectly acceptable but that the commonality amongst all of them is “love.” Sounds a little like our MEA Baja shaman Saul, right?

First off, we’re proud that the Wall Street Journal featured MEA yesterday as the lead educational option for people who are exploring midlife pathways.

Let’s review: A foundational premise of the Modern Elder Academy is that we gain certain kinds of intelligence and abilities in midlife that are necessary components of healthy social and economic ecosystems.

For me, building a new course is sort of like being Willy Wonka. I get to create something sort of magical. We excel in aggregating exciting ideas from all over the world that you would likely never have found on your own, and packaging it up with a pretty bow and a fun group of travelers from around the world. Imaginations are ignited, folks get unstuck and start to make life decisions with clarity, courage and excitement.

Rudyard Kipling's poem “If” is one of my favorites. I swoon when I arrive at the line, "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same."

I received the following email from an MEA alum the other day, and I asked him if I could share it with you.

“Write a letter to a child as if you knew you were going to die soon, passing along what you most wish for them to know. What is your deepest wisdom, your highest truth? The things that delight you, in which you’d like the child also to take delight? Secrets you are ready to reveal or heroes who have inspired you? Distill the essence of your legacy.” - Mirabai Starr, “Wild Mercy: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics”