Marriage
Of special interest are the several senior sage leaders who point to the transformative power of a highly successful, long-term marriage—and especially their spouse’s role in making it so:
One peak experience in my life has been my wife. We dated as youngsters, produced a wonderful family, and last year celebrated our 50th anniversary. She has been such a wonderful sounding board and great equalizer for me. Given my temperament I can be all over the ball park, but she has kept me centered. I can’t say enough about how my wife contributed to my career, raised our two children when I was gone much of all the time, and became a loving guide in my life. Without her, the life I have wouldn’t have been possible.
Recreational experiences
A small number of senior sage leaders reflect on the immense power that recreational activates have had on their lives. One discovered marathon running in his young forties and has since completed marathons on every continent, including Antarctica. Another found that teaching art in her home was richly rewarding, while a third continues to find backpacking in the wilderness deeply moving. A fourth remembers dancing ballet when young and being around great dance studios. And a fifth senior sage points to the influence of his musical directors and being in a marching band in high school and at Ohio State.
Collective and Shared Experiences
The peak experience could also be one that involved (even required) the involvement of other people.
Work experiences
Senior sage leaders identify numerous peak experiences that have grown out of their work lives. One worked at a horrible job during college years, and this gave her a strong perspective and grip on life. Another is thankful for having been passed-over for a position as a young man that led to an even better job. Truly potent, the most senior sage leader interviewed tells the remarkable story of his company having helped him as a young man get into flight school during WWII, where he flew P-38 Lighting and P-51 Mustang fighters before returning to the company and eventually climbing the ladder to become its President/CEO. Yet another prepared for a career in finance but was interviewed by an officer at his Fortune 500 firm who invited him to take a job in human resources—a chance career move that resulted in his becoming the senior human resources officer of the company for 35 years.
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