The Bridge

It's been unseasonably rainy in Beijing and BeiBei has an unintentional mini-science experiment growing on her back porch-as a broom is becoming a terrarium of sorts. Comparing weather notes, John shares that mushrooms are sprouting in his yard from the soggy soil. BeiBei says that she and her daughter did a mushroom growing project at home, and that brings them to some of the severe weather experiences they've had. BeiBei asks about music around storms, so John uses the opportunity to drop the needle on "Ridin' the Storm Out" by REO Speedwagon-a song BeiBei's never heard before. Finally, BeiBei is concerned that her memory is slipping, as she couldn't remember the password to her phone, and after being locked out on several attempts, had to visit her daughter in kindergarten to get it open.

Millions of people around the world, have been tuning in to TED Talks for well over a decade and BeiBei has taken notes on one in particular from David Brooks of the New York Times titled "The Lies Our Culture Tells Us About What Matters." The discussion is of the highest order, as BeiBei shares some of the main points from Mr. Brooks, and John weighs in on from his perspective as one who's given two TED Talks, and the impact they can make.

Mindfulness and meditation are the themes that run through the show, when Super Producer Cimcie checks in from LA. From apps, to mountain escapes to guided meditation, how do we find peace among the chaos of the world? BeiBei talks about how she keeps her mind calm at the end of the day, and John keeps things moving along some of his own insights to keeping his "bubble in the middle" on the level of life.

They're the most popular episodes on The Bridge: the weekly songfest that drops the needle on the universal language, music. Heyang starts the show with a powerful song by Tan Weiwe that focuses on domestic violence called "Xiao Juan" from 2020. In a major switching of gears, John loads up "Running Down A Dream" from the late, great Tom Petty. From there you'll hear music and more from Linkin Park, Blue Swede, J-Lo, Pink and Chicago.

John & Liu Yan start the show discussing the impact that The Bridge has had on each of them, as the program has amassed over 300 episodes. John shares some thoughts on the experiences he's had around Chinese medicine when his daughter was young. The rest of the show includes music from Peter Gabriel, stories from The Good News Network and some literary commentary about writing books and the responsibility of sharing information in the 21st century.

John's just back from a few days off, and shares his thoughts about "bugging out" to the Northwoods, and how it's the best way for him to recharge his batteries. Liu Yan uses tennis to settle himself when he needs a break, and Cimcie also uses nature to reconnect, and then shares the news that her sister Ashlee, just finished up post-production work on the CBS show "Celebrity Renovation" and the conversation goes to the many talents that are needed behind the scenes to create the media we watch. Finally, the talk is about reality shows, the good, the bad and the ugly.

The human brain is the most powerful computer we have at our disposal, but most of us don't use but a small portion of the potential this incredible organ contains. BeiBei has been watching a TEDx talk from Dr. Daniel Amen, who has much to say about how the brain works, and things that we can do to enhance its efficiency. John shares some of his thoughts regarding his concerns about damage done to the brain from sports, and he relates it to the many years he played football, and how he's taken steps to hopefully diminish the effects of the game  on his long-term mental health.

BeiBei is all about finding ways to create a fulfilling life, and shares her thoughts about the nature vs. nurture concept, that the formative years contribute greatly to our long-term wellbeing. John has the long view as a parent, and adds his thoughts about how his children made their way through life, to which BeiBei shares about some of her experiences with her daughter and other children she knows, and how challenging it is to be an effective parent. Finally, it gets even more personal as John shares his thoughts about life transformation, and the ups and downs of growth he's experienced.

With cicadas providing the background sound effects from BeiBei's back yard, the discussion is about the ups and downs of creating a garden, and how John has stewardship over his little plot of land. Shifting gears, there's commentary on the impact of books on kids, as BeiBei shares her thoughts as a mom. Finally, the deeper subject of how difficult it is for humans to discern reality-from produced reality.

Super Producer Cimcie shows up with a message for BeiBei-that they are officially "Elder Millennials." The conversation covers the gamut of generational labels, which puts John in the "Baby Boomer" bracket, and how we all have been put into boxes and files only adding to the distance between people. Finally, Cimcie shares about a pair of shoes she's bought, made totally from recycled plastic, taking the show in an environmentally themed direction.