Hero #042: Elderlies … (04/22/16)
It has been said that “the best classroom in the world can be found at the feet of an elderly person”. I’m not so sure about the use of the word “best” in this proverb (After all, the classroom at the feet of a young child is at least equally ripe with perspective & wisdom — IF you can get him or her to sit still long enough to share them), and yet there is great Truth herein nonetheless. Of course, it can be difficult to know who qualifies as an “elderly” — as the requirements for this title are based more in culture than biology, and thus shift somewhat radically depending upon where one happens to be.
Know then that by “elderly” I do NOT mean someone with gray hair or anyone over the age of 65; know that by “elderly” I do NOT mean an honored member of any particular church or political party; and know that by “elderly” I do NOT mean a person who happens to be nearing the very end of their physical life.
No, these qualities have little bearing on Hero-status — at least as far as I am concerned. What DOES qualify for me is a radiant Wisdom that comes from personal experience; what DOES qualify is a commensurate level of humility that always accompanies such Wisdom, and what DOES qualify is a gentle willingness to share that Wisdom with any & all who happen to ask of it.
So feel free to seek out such an Elder in your community … Rest assured, they are there in droves; our neighborhoods’ forgotten Sages & neglected Crones … They are right there — fully unhidden; sitting peacefully behind their desks — or in their living rooms, or their retirement homes, or their classrooms, or their assisted living facilities, or their restaurant booths … They are sitting there Peace-fully; waiting patiently to be asked about how their lives unfolded, about the adventures they had & the dreams they neglected; about their greatest joys & their deepest sorrows … about the Wisdoms they have learned & the Lessons they have lived; Wisdoms & Lessons that they just might be ready to pass on to you.
Seek your community’s “elderlies” today, my Friends …
Seek them …
Find them …
Approach them …
Ask them …
… and then LISTEN!
“Old age is a wonderful disguise” ~ Katherine Applegate
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