Day Three

Hit the wall and didn’t bounce back this time. I’m ready to give up. In the learning curve crucible, confusion comes just before clarity. Maybe with a push. Today I will make a concerted effort to find a tutor and do the work of writing down the process so I don’t forget. In the small hours I realized that I want to have a blog. So, I’ll do it. I like a morning discipline. I like learning.

PS 

The cookie fortune read: Wisdom is acquired by experience, not just by age.

My aspiration is to display the wisdom that I have grown up believing was a natural consequence of aging.  I want to be the Star Wars mentor, Yoda.  He just pops out those pithy one-liners loaded with everything anyone needs to know about how the world works and how to be a good person.

My problem is that I have noticed that some of my elders seem to have not become wise at all, only older. That has not stopped some of them from using their age to become tyrants when the only discernible right they have to give orders is the number of candles on their birthday cakes.  They give one-liners, yes they do.  Unlike Yoda, these philosophers give a narrow, simplistic view, often accompanied by a forward thrust lower jaw, and a stance that defies one to ignore the gray hair and wrinkles.

 I know how I want to be perceived.  I want to proclaim practical bits of information on getting along on the adventure known as life.  I want a sort of compendium of recipes for dealing with the daily wear and tear that result from the tumbling in the real world.

Successful sages are the ones who listen intently, refrain from interrupting, and give respect to others.  I have witnessed conversations that are really dual monologues or platforms for personal judgments.  I want to refrain from using trite and predictable terms.  For example, nothing elicits a tight face and a sigh from the other person as fast as “When I was your age____”, followed closely by “You should _____”, and the old favorite, “Why don’t you____.”  Yoda doesn’t use that language.  He doesn’t “should” on anyone.

I study the changes in society.  I don’t wish for the simpler, safer, more predictable days.  They no longer exist.  I list to current music, watch the movies, read the magazines, hear the slang, ask questions, and in the hopes of becoming useful to younger folks. I want to FaceBook and blog to be relevant and active in the present.

I want to be a person of the day backed by all the experiences, mistakes, successes, interests, risks, disappointments, learning, and enthusiasm I have for life and love and people. That is the patience and compassion I wish to copy from Yoda.  May the force be with me!