Pope's First Year

Everyday Wisdom

“I am always wary of decisions made hastily. I am always wary of first decisions, that is, the first thing that comes to my mind if I have to make a decision. This is usually the wrong thing. I have to wait and assess, looking deep into myself, taking the necessary time.”

Pope Francis

I am so impressed with the new Pope. He's been in office for one year now and has absolutely touched every heart in the world in that time. What I like most about him is his earthy groundedness. His willingness to look foolish, putting on a clown nose and letting pilgrims make “selfies” with him. I love that he leaves his Papal tower and mingles with the crowd in St. Peters Square and that he tweets, asking for our prayers, as though they count for something. He seems to be happiest when he's among the common people—when he can lift off the mantle of responsibility and be just another human being. And who wouldn't? Being Pope must be a lonely, heavy burden.

In the quote above, the Pope gives some sound advice without making it sound...well...Papal. He says he believes in thinking things through, in digging deep into himself, before making a decision. Notice he doesn't say, I call upon God to direct me, though you can bet he spends boatloads of time in prayer. He doesn't expect the voice of God to tell him what to do. Nor does he ask God to do it for him. He looks into himself. This sounds too simple to be important, which is what makes it sound advice. How many bad decisions have you made being impulsive? How many times have you decided in the moment to buy something or do something that turned out to be a terrible idea? In my case, too many to count. Some of the worst decisions of my life have been made on the spur of the moment. Sometimes, we circle around and come back to the same position, but at least we weigh all the options.

Being thoughtful is, in my opinion, always a good idea, though some would say that spontaneity is the essence of life. If we're talking about eating a cupcake, or walking barefooted in the sand, maybe, but anything more important than that requires some thought. Believe it or not, doing research on eBay has taught me a lot about not making snap decisions. Sometimes what I think is junk, turns out to be a highly collectible item, a rare and valuable find. People are the same. Sometimes we find the rarest wisdom in the most humble of people.

                                                     In the Spirit,

                                                           Jane