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On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old
- Narrated by: Steve Carlson
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
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On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old
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Summary
From beloved and best-selling author Parker J. Palmer (Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, Healing the Heart of Democracy) comes a brave and beautiful book of reflections on eight decades of life and work. Reframing aging as "a passage of discovery and engagement", Palmer says, "Old is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to take bigger risks on behalf of the common good." On the Brink of Everything is not a "guide to" or "handbook for" getting old. Instead, it's Palmer turning the prism of insight on his experience as a way of encouraging listeners to do the same with theirs. In elegant prose and lyrical poetry, he offers a set of meditations on the meanings of one's life - past, present, and future.
“The laws of nature that dictate the sunset dictate our demise," Palmer writes. "But how we travel the arc between our own sunrise and sundown is ours to choose: will it be denial, defiance, or collaboration?" With gravity and levity, compassion and chutzpah, Palmer writes about cultivating a robust inner and outer life, a sense of meaning and purpose amid pain as well as joy, and the intergenerational relations that enhance the lives of young and old alike. Here's a book not only for elders but also for those younger folks we call "old souls". And this book sings! It includes three songs by Palmer's longtime friend and colleague, singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, written in response to themes in the book.
Palmer and Newcomer hope to engage listeners in an ongoing conversation about what Howard Thurman called "the growing edge" of our personal and public lives. Ultimately, Palmer sees age as a precious gift: "The fact that I've come this far makes me one of the lucky ones." Surprised by the fact that he likes being old, he writes, "Welcome to the brink of everything. It takes a lifetime to get here, but the stunning view and the wake-up breeze in your face make it worth the trip."
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What listeners say about On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve Russell
- 24-08-18
A feast for the soul
I love Parker Palmer's work. For the past few years he has been one my main my go-tos when I've needed some sustenance for my soul - and this, his latest book doesn't disappoint. Full of sage-like wisdom and beautifully written, it's inspired and challenged me in equal measure to take some time out and reflect on how I'm living my life. It's spurred me on to consider deeper what it means for me to 'turn up as my authentic self' to paraphrase Palmer.
As he himself says, this isn't a 'how to grow old' book but rather a collection of his musings and reflections upon his own life thus far. In it he passes on nuggets of wisdom - wisdom that have grown out of his ever growing commitment to embrace his own humanity - the light and the shadows.
A wonderful book which I can see will be taking its place in hardback form before long - and with much highlighting and scribbled note making.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- MJH
- 22-02-22
Essential reading
Some books are destroyed when they are not read by the author, but this is not the case for ‘On the brink of everything’ the narrator does an excellent job in bringing us into the heart of the ideas that Park Palmer seeks to help us understand.
Parker Palmer’s book ‘Let your life speak’ became one of my most recommended and given away books. Now as I enter this new stage of my life this is another book that has been a great help and become a friend that I will also recommend pass on to as many as I can.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-01-20
Brilliant, wise and grounded
A lifetime of awareness, living with and in the paradoxes of this life, saturate what Palmer shares in this book. Just what I needed on the cusp of my 60th birthday. We are all broken, yet we are whole. Thank you!
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