WOMEN's WISDOM: Asking MORE QUESTIONS

Recently, my dearest life-long friend, Sally and I discussed how much we wished we had asked MORE QUESTIONS of our mothers and aunties and other women of influence in our lives. Looking back, we realize now that we were so busy creating our own lives, struggling through the daily ones and twos of finding our own ways and raising children that it never crossed our minds. While dealing with our own doses of life's sorrows, missteps, miracles, and milestones, somehow we missed looking too far outside ourselves to discover much about these women, who each left their unique and enduring imprint on our lives. We concluded that it wasn't that we didn't notice them or care about them. We just didn't have a well-developed curiosity to ask questions, when we were overwhelmed with the questions life was asking us at the time.
Can you relate?

I suppose coming to this realization makes you more conscious of others. It builds up a genuine curiosity for discovering little bits of WISDOM you never intentionally overlooked from lives well-lived. In the process, you find out there is so much to learn from one another about beauty and grace --- and it seems to put many things in perspective.

Interestingly, not long after our discussion, a lovely project fell into our path through another friend --- The Beauty of Aging. The one-hour documentary film is one that honors women over 80 years old. In just viewing the trailer, it shows how becoming a wise elder has a beauty that cannot be denied. The inspiring stories these women tell can help us all learn about beauty and grace from the inside out.

The Beauty of Aging
by Laura Schur and Lisa Thompson 

The website has seven inspiring video stories of these remarkable women to sample.
http://www.beautyofaging.com/the-women.html

A FEW PERSONAL THOUGHTS ...
From the time I was in my early twenties, I've always been drawn to WISDOM. I keep learning, it is all around us and that by developing an interest in what others have to tell us, we learn about ourselves. It is still another validation of the power of putting our differences to work. As I've worked with women around the world, I've found they more naturally appear to inquire --- to be seekers wisdom --- to have a curiosity about accomplished women and learning from them. It serves as a role model or perhaps a "yardstick" for self-examination. At all ages, we have much to learn from one another, if we ask MORE QUESTIONS and are open to receive the answers.

There are two ways of spreading Light ...
To be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.

--- Edith Wharton
Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist

I still wished I'd asked MORE QUESTIONS, but perhaps the answers missed come through the a genuine interest in others that cross our paths in the present, across generations and cultures.

What do you think?

Warmest regards,

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
Home of Women in the Lead
Author, Putting Our Differences to Work
** 2010 Axiom Business Book Award Winner**
Bronze - HR and Employee Training

Comments

[Lines Of Beauty (Louise)]

I can absolutely relate! The wonderful thing is that as people age their long term memories seem to stay intact and their short term memories usually fade more quickly. Having had several people in my family who have had longevity I realize now that it is a great time to go visit them and ask questions and hear their stories as they love telling them.

[Debbe Kennedy]

Dear Louise,
Thank you for stopping by. You are so right. Your message reminded me of one of my recent posts about my mother: http://globaldialoguecenter.blogs.com/women/2010/05/remembering-mom.html She had a whole series of readings, but I only have this one I partially remember, because I didn't ask. Great advice to us all. Thanks again. Debbe