About Eavesdropping on Athena
A publication dedicated to the wisdom of giving
The most successful adult I knew
When I was deciding on the career I wanted, I thought about the “successful” adults I knew. Most had impressive resumés, fantastic clothes and glamorous offices. But one seemed happier than the rest, even if she had none of those. She was an aunt who taught music at a local high school.
When you first meet her, she looks unremarkable. She isn’t that tall. Her fashion sense is preppy but not chic. She doesn’t even have an office of her own.
But when you talk to her, you’ll notice something delightfully unusual about her. She’s kind and compassionate in a way that stands out. Her smile is sincere and welcoming. Her manner tells you she has a heart full of everything that is good. She draws people like honey draws bees.
Whenever students talk about her, their eyes light up, and either tear a little because of how much she has changed them, or smile so widely, their eyes disappear. Many of them have become teachers because of her. Others, inspired by her life and story, have chosen jobs that serve more than earn. Her choice to give began a chain of giving. Her decision to work for others, echoed by many more.
Watching her as I plotted my own professional path, I knew the success she embodied was what I wanted too. Her success can’t be measured in prestige or promotion, but the life-changing effect she had on so many lives showed me generosity had to be my priority.
Eavesdropping on Athena’s unique feature: Life lessons from selfless sages (so we become like owls)
This publication is meant to chronicle, celebrate, and echo voices like hers. Individuals whose lives and words inspire us to live and work focused on giving. Sages whose knowledge does more than inform. Sages whose insights and experience guide us to what is most worthy of our love, and show us how to fill our lives and world with expansive joy.
Learning from them, may we become something like owls, wisdom’s ancient symbol. These nocturnal creatures were chosen to iconize Athena because they see even in darkness.
It is my hope that the sages featured here inspire us to see goodness and hope in our often darkened world, and to share the light in whatever way we can.
