Peripheral Wisdom

Welcome to Peripheral Wisdom!

Why “Peripheral Wisdom”?

A lot of truth is found around the edges of conventional wisdom, just beyond “what everybody thinks”. Sometimes the nuggets found around the fringes aren’t especially tidy or pretty, but they are important, and often fascinating. You have to be intentional in looking for that peripheral wisdom, which is often hiding in plain sight, and figuring out what it says and what it means for you.

On a more personal level, I’ve lost quite a bit of my peripheral vision due to glaucoma, and in order to see the things around the edges of my field of vision, I have to turn my head more than most people and INTENTIONALLY look at what surrounds me.

I first realized that I was losing some peripheral vision when I kept running into people as they came into my path from the side at Costco! I had to practice actively turning my head and looking around me so I could see what was there.

I also have to focus on things LONGER than most people do so that objects come into appropriate focus, depth perception, and visual context. It takes awhile for my eyes to process all of that information and relay it to my brain so I know what I’m seeing.

While this change to my peripheral vision has been a bit inconvenient and frustrating, it’s also been a blessing. I’ve found that slowing down and looking intentionally, and possibly DIFFERENTLY, at the things around me reveals many truths that are often missed because we are in such a hurry all the time.

And because we think we already know all the answers.

Humans have a tendency, especially in today’s culture, to think in very polarizing ways: this is RIGHT; that is WRONG.

Or more precisely: I am right, YOU are wrong.

And seriously, most of life is not that cut and dried. People and positions are complicated. There’s lots of gray in a world that we try desperately to categorize as either black or white (I’m talking symbolically, not racially.)

I’m here to tell you that you DON’T know all the answers. And neither do I. Just because an opinion is felt with a lot of emotion behind it doesn’t make it true or correct.

And that’s OK. Part of Peripheral Wisdom is learning to get over yourself (myself…).

In Peripheral Wisdom, I’ll be sharing some of my midlife observations with you. Maybe throwing some tips in to help you deal with others more peacefully, for good measure. You may not agree with everything I have to say, but hopefully you’ll be intrigued enough to consider what I’m saying and ponder some alternative possibilities and perspectives.

I thought about calling this blog “Did I Really Say That Out Loud??” because I may say some things that cause others to have a strong reaction. Or I might not. We’ll see!

Sometimes my Peripheral Wisdom will be deep and controversial. Sometimes it will be silly and lighthearted. Sometimes it will be random, and other times there will be obvious structure.

I hope you’ll join me as I take a look at the wisdom we can find on the periphery of life.

Comments, questions, clarifications, and sharing with others are always welcome!

And, please – I’d love to hear about YOUR own Peripheral Wisdom nuggets, too!