I HATE it when I see my own stupidity so clearly defined in someone else ... I mean, saying things I have, or at lease could have, said - usually referencing years ago. But, the reality is that I am aware that I may still be stupid, because I know I have been stupid. The bumper sticker "Don't believe everything you think" has become my mantra.

These observations came reeling round to me this morning as I perused my Facebook newsfeed and found a comment referring to the death of Dave Brubeck, a man who lived a remarkably creative life, a genius of the music world, and who lived a "long" 91 years. Of that long and productive life, one young man makes a comment, "Most unfortunate. I actually though [sic] that he had died years ago, however, so I can't say that I'm much bothered. Guy was ancient." Oh, yeah, ancient. Yeah, he "though."

Where shall I begin? Somewhere around my mid-30's, I guess. Because that is when I think I started getting a tiny bit of a clue that maybe what I'd "though" all my life wasn't quite lining up right when I actually "thought" about it. I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking before I started thinking, but when I started really thinking I realized I neither agreed nor ascribed to many of the beliefs and convictions I held as true. I started seeing my convictions as intolerant, insensitive, uninformed, immature, and generally illogical. I was startled by these revelations ... but ultimately very glad for them. Life experiences came round to ground me, soften me, humble me, awaken me. Thank goodness I am who I am now, but wait ... what if I still count as intolerant, insensitive, uninformed, immature, and generally illogical?? Life is a cycle of prayer, reflection, evaluation, and self-examination.

The shift in my thinking messed with my head, literally. I simply had never really thought about what I thought about "things of life." Are you following me here? Such things of life as religion and justice. Things such as the teachings of Jesus that caused me to see that everyone else's life is as of much value to themselves and to God as mine is. Things like the fact that opportunity should exist for everyone ... what they do with it is their decision, but they ought to have the opportunity to take it or leave it. And, things such as knowing that while I had worked and planned and done things like I was "supposed to," it was because of More than my own rightness and goodness that I lived a life called Blessed. 

How do I sum it up. No question mark there because it's a rhetorical question ... not one really being asked or expecting an answer because I don't think there is an answer. Except to say that it has taken these life experiences to dispel my belief that life is richest in youth. That what is called "mellowing" as we age is actually a process of becoming wiser. Hopefully age brings to us a knowledge of what and who is important. It brings to us an understanding of the value that is in life ... of any and every age. Perhaps most of all it brings the undeniable realization that even if we live for 91 years, we have only a very, very short time in this world

Recognizing that there is a chance that we are stupid is the beginning of the greatest wisdom. To say that 91 years old is ancient is an insult, maybe uninformed and unintended, but still an insult. 91 years comes round in a snap of the fingers, in the proverbial blink of an eye. Should we live to the greatest extent life in this world has to offer, we still have such a short, short time at best. At "worst," life ends way too soon. Like snow on delicate begonia blossoms, a very natural event but one we're just not quite ready for.

Here's to the joy of being young, but here's to the joy of being wise ... at any and every age.