Over the years, I’ve often been asked about the true role of an elder. To me, one of our most vital jobs is to shift from being the “hero” to becoming a ladder holder.
Younger generations are feverishly, reaching for the top of their careers, their art, their parenting, and their partnering. But these days, many of those ladders get incredibly shaky.
Sadly, many men and women climb with little or no support. I was lucky. When I mistakenly placed my ladders against the wrong walls, my elders steadied me as I climbed back down them or caught me when I fell off and helped me revise and reset.
Our job now as elders isn’t to climb higher; it’s to hold the ladder steady for someone else.
Who steadied the ladder for you? Whose ladder are you holding today?
“Be a lamp, a lifeboat, a ladder. Help someone’s soul to heal. Walk out of your house like a Shepherd.” Rumi