Written Sometime in September 2018
“Because I am old enough to know the world cannot delight me, my expectation is not of the world but of myself: delight in the gift of life and be grateful.” Parker Palmer, On the Brink of Everything
The waves lap gently on the protected shores in front of the beachside restaurant at the elite hotel where I am staying on the island of Crete. We don’t normally travel elite, but this is where the travel agent booked us. I am not complaining. The entire hotel is magnificent as it sits on a hill above the Mediterranean (or is it Aegean) with the beach a mere two hundred yard walk from my room.
The point is, apart for the lobster at lunch, I remain the same lowly contemplative and curious self. I am reading Parker Palmer’s ever so thoughtful insights about aging in his latest book, On the Brink of Everything. Palmer is always worthy of a read.
For some reason the thought comes to my head that a life of meaning begins with acceptance of your lot in life. I believe in a God that has some say into everything that goes on. I do not understand how, but I accept it.
I also do not understand poverty and the disenfranchised in the program of God, but I do understand the value of suffering. Overcoming suffering may be of the greatest of all human endeavors—it makes us stronger and it endows us to be truly human.
I don’t get this aspect of Divinity, but there is a whole lot I don’t get. Yet it is not for me to know. I also believe in the value of not knowing which leads me to grandiose quests of learning and experimenting—like a visit to Crete and watching the waves gently lapping upon the seaside beach.
