Grace, Gravity and Growing Older. Accepting All of Who We Are. With Parker Palmer

A Favorite Encore. Today’s guest is one of my favorites of all time. When I first interviewed Parker Palmer, the writer, teacher, poet and all around wise and soulful human — it was near a birthday that was giving me some pause as I was feeling the weight of time passing. I felt such a rush of pure humanity from listening to his words. It was the best birthday gift. The book we discussed is called On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old. It’s one of 10 amazing books that he’s authored. He says we must accept all of who we are…our wholeness and our brokenness. Wholeness involves integrating your imperfections along with whatever degree of perfection you may have achieved. It means embracing brokenness as an important part of our lives. It all belongs. I loved when he said that our hearts stay supple when we learn to embrace the little heartbreaks of everyday life. Eventually, he says, we can say...Yes, I am my strengths and my weaknesses. I am my successes and my failures. I am a source of light and I can be dark. It's all there. Welcome it all as a part of being human.

Parker has reached millions worldwide through his books, including the best-selling Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and A Hidden Wholeness.

He also holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley and 13 honorary doctorates. He has won numerous awards, which are listed in our show notes. Encore Episode.

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