by Heather Plett | Dec 9, 2010 | Friendship
I have been busy living a full and beautiful life these past days, hosting a delightful house guest from the coast, showing him how beautiful the prairies can be in winter, paying a brief visit to my brother and sister-in-law, teaching my weekly writing class, marking papers for that class, drinking a good deal of wine with previously mentioned house guest, and attending a board dinner to say a proper good-bye to the board members of the organization I left a couple of months ago. So much goodness in just a few short days.
Here are some of the random wisdom bits I’ve been reminded of these past days:
1. Feminine wisdom is not the exclusive property of women. My friend Randy has it in spades.
2. Drinking wine in the evening with a dear friend can be a good, good thing.
3. Having a husband who doesn’t get jealous when you spend two days in the company of a beloved male friend can also be a good, good thing.
4. The flattest, baldest, snow-covered prairie landscape can hold a lot of beauty when your eyes are open to it.
5. Even a short visit with special family members can remind you just how much they mean to you.
6. Someone suffering through the ravages of her second round of chemotherapy can still offer amazing gifts of hospitality and joy.
7. Shared laughter may very well be one of the greatest riches a person can find.
8. Hearing board members say, with genuine respect, that you had a significant impact and you are missed can feel very affirming.
9. When you go for a run after missing a few days, the ache, adrenalin, and meditative mind space can feel like the return of dear departed friends.
10. Visiting tourists attractions in your city when the elements have chased everyone else away can transform them with eery, peaceful beauty.
11. Sometimes the goodness of life can be defined by very simple things: a good friend or two, lots of opportunity for laughter, a healthy body, beauty in simple things, kindness, and an occasional glass of wine (or two).
by Heather Plett | Nov 14, 2010 | Birthing Sophia, Leadership
There’s a question that’s taken up residence in my heart. It’s a big question, so it takes up a lot of room. Even when I try to ignore it, it keeps nagging at me, imploring me to engage.
What could happen for the world if all of us – women AND men – learned to trust our feminine wisdom more and let it inform the way we live, the way we lead, the way we treat our earth, and the way we make decisions about justice and politics and relationships?
It’s not a question that’s easy to answer. It’s one of those big, potentially world-changing questions that is sometimes easier to ignore because of what it demands of us. It’s a scary question – one that requires the kind of stretching and changing that can be uncomfortable for all of us – individuals, organizations, governments, non-profits, and communities of every kind.
It’s scary, but I have come to believe it is absolutely necessary. We have to ask the question and we have to be prepared for how it might change us. There are enough crises going on in the world today that we cannot deny the urgency with which we need to explore alternatives to some of our past models.
This blog is going to serve as a space for inviting that question into our hearts, sitting with it for awhile, and letting it gradually change us.
The question is not about whether women should take over the world. That would only shift the kinds of problems we have, not overcome them.
What I’m talking about is the wisdom that we ALL have access to, gifted to us by our Creator. It’s the kind of wisdom that is embodied in the Greek word Sophia. It’s wisdom that is spiritual, intuitive, visionary, compassionate, creative, and yes, feminine. It sits in circles sharing stories and wisdom. It welcomes art and music and dance into the houses of power. It remembers that wisdom resides not only in our minds, but in our bodies and in our souls. It believes in the Sacred and allows for spirituality to impact the way we treat our earth.
When we learn to trust that kind of wisdom, and give it equal space with masculine wisdom that is more rational, direct, practical, assertive, then I think we can make transformative things happen for ourselves, our communities, and our world.
Let me just say that I don’t claim any proprietary ownership of this question. It’s a question that is on the hearts of many great thinkers in the world today. I’ve been exploring the wisdom of some of these great thinkers, and some of them will be joining me for some meaningful conversations in this space.
Stick around – I know there will be lots of interesting ideas explored here.
I’m so glad you’re joining me in this quest.
Let’s be sojourners together on this journey.
Let’s do it for our daughters and our sons. Let’s do it for the earth. Let’s do it for ourselves.
Note: If you want to learn more about the birth of Sophia Leadership, I’ve added some of the posts from my personal blog below this one. You may also want to visit the “About Heather” page for a story of my journey to Sophia. And if you want to see a list of some of the books that have inspired me on the journey, check out the “Sophia Reads” page.
