Wisdom @ Play
I was inspired to go to the Modern Elder Academy by an important book: Wisdom @ Work: The Making of a Modern Elder, by Chip Conley.
But what I found there was Wisdom @ Play.
Conley calls the Modern Elder Academy a “wisdom school.” Others have joked: It’s like f%^&* Harvard for old people.
But I worked in higher education for 20 years. So I beg to differ.
At this Academy, nobody stands and delivers. Nobody’s afraid of change. And nobody has a job for life.
Every day for a week on the Baja campus, we learned by doing. And we learned by playing.
According to Greg Mckeown, author of Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Play expands our minds in ways that allow us to explore: to germinate new ideas or see old ideas in a new light. It makes us more inquisitive, more attuned to novelty, more engaged.
As compadres, we goofed around. We laughed so hard, we cried. We got out of our heads and saw new possibilities for our lives.
But most importantly, we saw “experts” playing. They played in a way that can leave no doubt: lightness is crucial to being wise.
Tony played in the kitchen, and at the pizza oven, and we cherished every morsel.
Carla played with the shaker and the tequila, and our taste buds danced.
Hessed played with his hands and his intuition, and our energy moved.
Teddi played with our crows and our down dogs, and our hearts melted.
Zoe played with pastels and markers, and we pictured the future.
Saul played with incense and stars, and we felt clean.
Tom played with our joints and our bones, and we were tickled.
And Jeff! Jeff played with who we are, and how (and when) we show up, and who we want to be. He created the space for us to play with each other. And for us to play with him.
Now, we’re back at home. Whether baking bread alone or balancing rocks on our kitchen table, there can be fun in every move we make.
We’re playing the long game now. Dust off the old guitar. Pick up a ukulele and be silly. Queue up the playlist and dance.
It’s game on, compadres!
And we’re having a blast!
