Episode #23 finds Ted and Lisa taking on an attitude of gratitude. A humorous warm-up (1:46) gets the ball rolling before the co-hosts start to clarify how gratitude differs from simply acknowledging what we like (6:18). They touch on gratitude’s relationship to vulnerability (12:34) and whether we can ever offer enough thanks for some of the gifts in our lives (17:17). They discuss how gratitude can serve as a tone-setter or lens-shaper (21:46) and consider the problematic implications of the common aphorism “Everything happens for a reason.” (24:57) Ted hearkens back to an old New Age standard when considering synchronicities and whether believing in luck makes you more lucky (31:22) and Lisa outlines the humorous approach found at San Francisco’s Gratitude Café (35:43). Ted’s favorite pre-show improv practice gets them into the topic of priming (39:07), Lisa tries out a Toothache Meditation, and Ted introduces the concept of “pronoia.” (41:25) They close the episode after finding a new way to understand and use the word “gratitude” itself. (47:35)

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