"Good Morning Beautiful",
That is what my friend Bill Hopper would say to me sometimes when he saw me on the street. He is 90 now and we call him Hopper not only because it is his name but because he always keeps moving. He is always on the go. Up until last year he did a lot of errands for us in the studio. For years he brought your packages to the mail. The wisdom of Bill Hopper is that he stays connected and he keeps moving.
There is wisdom all around us. It is not reserved for special books, scholars and poets. Though of course the people right around us often are scholars and poets in their own right. Wisdom is not reserved for the most successful, or the most educated. It is very democratic, and everyone has a chance to gain it.
It is in the people we meet everyday. I see it in Travis, our UPS guy, how he talks to people and how they relate so easily to him. He has a way with people that makes them feel safe and comfortable. He treats everyone well and is interested in their story. That is his wisdom.
I see it in my friend Carol Oram, who years ago told me a few things I carry with me. She said...When your children are young you don't have enough nurturing left in you to water a geranium. This helped me understand myself as a young mother and gives me compassion and understanding for young parents. I try never to expect too much of them because they have a lot on their plates.
She also told me that if you get one idea out of a book for $20 bucks you got a great deal. I have bought so many books since that and learned so much from them.
Carol also told me that if I feel like goofing off I should definitely do that because I hardly ever feel like goofing off. So I do take off and enjoy myself whenever I feel like it. I take advantage of the feeling or the whim to take off on a drive. Carol is a thinker and her wisdom comes from that.
To receive wisdom you have to be watching and listening. And of course reading, because wisdom not only comes from people like Travis, Carol, and Hopper but it also does come from great books and teachings as well. I love to learn. A lot of what I do learn I promptly forget but there are always thoughts and ideas I carry with me. Those things that linger have shaped me.
In the coming months I want to share some of the these things with you. Good podcasts, interesting writers, good food, wonderful people and great ideas. I hope to send out a mid week newsletter that brings these things together for you to get inspired and stay creative. I have been inspired by my friend Jeanne Oliver of the Jeanne Oliver Network to do this. I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for reading,
Deanne
PS. Be sure to check out my new course on the Jeanne Oliver Network with five great small projects!
