In this episode, my guests are Judith Valente and Br. Paul Quenon the authors of the new book How to Be: A Monk and a Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Forgiveness & Friendship. In the conversation, we discuss: Discerning your pathBecoming a personThe purpose of lifeHow meditation helps us Be in the worldThe role of friendshipWisdom in daily life and much moreJudith Valente is an award-winning author, journalist, poet, and essayist. She is a former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. And today she is a sought-after speaker and retreat leader on living a more contemplative life, discovering inner wisdom through poetry, and finding meaning in your work.Brother Paul Quenon, OCSO, entered the Trappists in 1958 at the renowned Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky at the age of 17. Thomas Merton was his novice master and spiritual director. Quenon is the author of 9 collections of poetry and his memoir is titled, In Praise of the Useless Life. Follow In Search of Wisdom:Subscribe to our YouTube ChannelTwitter: twitter.com/searchofwisdomInstagram: instagram.com/searchofwisdompodcastSign-up for The PATH our free newsletter (short reflections on wisdom).  Get full access to Perennial Meditations at perennial.substack.com/subscribe