Welcome to Untangle, the podcast from Muse, the brain sensing headband that helps you meditate and sleep.

And Meditation Studio, the five-star app. I'm Patricia Carpice. Just a reminder to check out Muse at choosemuse.com and be sure to use your Untangle discount code, launch 15. The new features are very cool.

I'm going to have to go on a bit about today's guest, Parker J. Palmer. If someone asked

who would be the one person I'd want to have dinner with, anywhere, any time, it would be this man.

At age 82, he is one of the wisest souls I've ever had the pleasure to meet. It's our luck that he's written 10 books that share so

much of this wisdom with heart, vulnerability, and authenticity. When I read his work, I know for sure that we're all connected as

humans, that we're all both whole and broken at the same time. Parker is a writer, speaker,

activist, founder, and senior partner at the Center for Courage and Renewal. He's reached millions

worldwide through his books, including the best-selling,

Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, and a Hidden Wholeness.

His latest bestseller is, On the Brink of Everything, Grace, Gravity, and getting old, which is what we discussed today.

I devoured this book on my last birthday, feeling the weight of age and time passing.

It was like wrapping myself up in a warm blanket.

Parker also holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and 13 honorary

doctorates. He's won numerous awards, which we will list in our show notes. It really was such a

privilege to interview him. Today, we cover many of the themes that have been dear to Parker over the years.

Some of my favorite ideas from this interview are,

age itself is no excuse to wade in the shallows.

It is a reason to dive deep and take creative risks, a time for self-examination.

Wholeness involves integrating your imperfections along with whatever degree of perfection

you may have achieved. It means embracing brokenness as an important part of our lives. Everything

belongs. What one learns in the course of life is that suffering is just a part of the deal if you're a human being.

...