On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, & Getting Old

By Parker J. Palmer

“This impassioned book invites readers to the deep end of life where authentic soul work and human transformation become pressing concerns.” —Publishers Weekly

2019 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medalist in the Aging/Death & Dying Category

From bestselling author Parker J. Palmer comes a brave and beautiful book for all who want to age reflectively, seeking new insights and life-giving ways to engage in the world. “Age itself,” he says, “is no excuse to wade in the shallows. It’s a reason to dive deep and take creative risks.”

Looking back on eight decades of life—and on his work as a writer, teacher, and activist—Palmer explores what he’s learning about self and world, inviting readers to explore their own experience. In prose and poetry—and three downloadable songs written for the book by the gifted Carrie Newcomer—he meditates on the meanings of life, past, present, and future.

With compassion and chutzpah, gravitas and levity, Palmer writes about cultivating a vital inner and outer life, finding meaning in suffering and joy, and forming friendships across the generations that bring new life to young and old alike.

“This book is a companion for not merely surviving a fractured world, but embodying—like Parker—the fiercely honest and gracious wholeness that is ours to claim at every stage of life.” —Krista Tippett, New York Times-bestselling author of Becoming Wise

“A wondrously rich mix of reality and possibility, comfort and story, helpful counsel and poetry, in the voice of a friend . . . This is a book of immense gratitude, consolation, and praise.” —Naomi Shihab Nye, National Book Award finalist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781523095452

Parker J. Palmer

Parker J. Palmer, a popular speaker and educator, is also the author of The Active Life. He received the 1993 award for "Outstanding Service to Higher Education" from the Council of Independent Colleges.

Book preview

I. The View from the Brink

What I Can See from Here

Introduction

Check the Cambridge Dictionary online, and you’ll find the phrase on the brink defined as the edge of a cliff or other high area, or the point at which something good or bad will happen, followed by this example: The company was on the brink of collapse.¹

I’m not sure why most uses of the phrase are negative—as in on the brink of giving up, or losing my mind, or going to war—even though it can be used positively. Perhaps it’s because, deep in the reptilian brain, we’re afraid of falling from heights or crossing boundaries into the unknown. But isn’t it possible that we’re on the brink of flying free, or discovering something of beauty, or finding peace and

Reviews for On the Brink of Everything

[eembooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Could not finish this book. Seemed to be going in circles about Parker's life and development rather than the subject of the book

[nmele_4 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As he grows older (I should talk, I'm only ten years behind him), Palmer strikes me as becoming more self-referential, maybe more smug in his reflections. These essays are full of truth but something in his tone set my teeth on edge. His insights are worth the cost of the self-satisfied tone.