Wisdom Pearls...

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a book signing by Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Among other things, she is the author of Know Your Power: Message to America's Daughters. One thing that struck me during her talk was her constant references to family, God, and community.

House Speaker Pelosi, a native Baltimorean, shared the story behind the catch phrase, "Know your Power." She spoke fondly of former Congresswoman Lindy Boggo who originally told her, "Know thy power and use it!" I grasped the following wisdom pearls from Speaker Pelosi's talk:

• "There is a spark of divinity in every person"
• "My parents raised me to be holy"
• "Public service is a noble cause; we all have a responsibility to help other people"
• "You must own the ground"
• "You only had a conversation, not a political action"
• "We all have an obligation to give a new president cooperation and respect; that is our responsibility as American citizens"
• "silent subjects"
  

Her talk reminded me of a Ghandi quote I keep seeing in and around Baltimore on advertisements by JHU:

"Live like you are going to die tomorrow. Learn like you are going to live forever."

Both challenge me to focus daily on the really important things in life -like living free - and to not get boggled down with self-doubt, indecisiveness, petty arguments, reprehension, and reproach.