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In this episode I share a personal essay that I recently performed at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville, as part of an anniversary celebration for Harvest Records. I provide some background on my being included in the event—Found in Sound: Tales from the Record Store Universe—and the very gratifying process of writing (with the help of an excellent developmental editor) "Music as Divine Consolation." It's basically about how profoundly comforting music can be for us life-beleaguered humans.

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In this episode I explore my fascination with interpersonal process groups and why I'm so stoked to start one of my own! Using Louis Ormont's book "The Group Therapy Experience" as my focus, I discuss what makes process groups so effective and describe some techniques used by group therapists to deepen connections between members and help them practice new behaviors.

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In this spur-of-the-moment (ish) episode, I talk about the Chinese art of placement: feng shui! It literally means "wind" and "water." Merriam-Webster defines "feng shui" as "a Chinese geomantic practice in which a structure or site is chosen or configured so as to harmonize with the spiritual forces that inhabit it." And of course it applies to home interiors, which is what I'll focus on here. It is so very fascinating and fun! And it'll drive you to the point of distraction if you're not careful. That's partly why I made this episode, so I could get some of the feng shui out of my system and make room for other stuff in my head! 

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In this episode I talk about my decision to stop making these episodes on a monthly basis. Instead, I will do them when the mood strikes! I briefly discuss Thomas Aquinas, who said just a few months before his death in 1274 that his writing labors had ended: "Such things have been revealed to me that all I have written seems as straw." I love that. I also talk a little bit about the political situation in the US and what I think we need to do if DJT gets elected. And I rant about brain-computer interface technology. "You do not have to be good. You do not have to be good..."

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In this episode—the shortest one yet!—I talk a little bit about my recent experience of realizing (as a writer) how important and helpful editors are. I also discuss the sewing meditation retreat I did in February. But I didn't feel like going on and on about it or anything else, so I kept things brief. Just a little check-in! Maybe in April I'll have more to say. :)

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In this episode, I talk a bit about my tendency to have multiple projects going at once, and how that probably informs a recurring dream I have about never being able to get where I need to be. But mostly I explore some of the ideas put forth in the 1961 book On Becoming a Person, by Carl Rogers. We people are change, embodied. We are always in a state of becoming, so don't go thinking you've become who you're going to be! You'll never become who you're going to be because that would mean there's a goal in mind, some static version of yourself that, once achieved, you'll never stray from. To get the most out of our ever-changing-ness, we need to be open to our experience, and able to share that experience in word and deed with the people we care about. There's a lot more going on in this episode, so give a listen if you wanna!

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Happy New Year! In this episode, I briefly discuss the difference between spirituality and religion, share the various challenges that life presented me with in the month of December ("man plans, God laughs"), and talk about the box of my late paternal grandparents' courtship love letters that I acquired over Christmas. I also revisit some of my thoughts and feelings about Christmas and how my attitude about it has changed since last month, and I touch on some of the books I've been reading: The Case for God, by Karen Armstrong; Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner; On Becoming a Person, by Carl Rogers; and Branching Streams Flow in the Darkness, by Shunryu Suzuki.

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In this episode, I talk about the obligatory gift-giving insanity that is Christmas (reminding you that you don't have to participate!), and I read an essay my husband recently wrote about climate change. I also share my experience of participating in National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo) and of attending my first Buddhist lay minister ordination ceremony. Lastly, I discuss what I've been reading—namely, Thomas Merton's autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain (finally finished it!) and The Sun magazine.

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In this "bonus" episode, which originally aired in radio format on November 25th, 2021 (and which I've only just now converted to podcast format), I discuss Thanksgiving the holiday, as well as the practice of giving thanks. I explore the history of the holiday, which actually has very little to do with the meal shared by Pilgrims and Wampanoags in 1621. That was more of a celebration than a thanksgiving, as (at least for the Pilgrims) giving thanks typically entailed fasting and quiet contemplation. In reading about the true origins of this holiday, I realized how thoroughly Christian it is, and what a large role religion originally played in US government, and how much more willing to go without certain creature comforts the American people used to be.

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In this episode I briefly discuss the bullshit that is war of any kind and I pay brief homage to Matthew Perry (R.I.P.) before reflecting on some favorite passages from Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet and Mason Currey's Daily Rituals: How Artists Work. In reflecting on what Rilke calls "the happiness of being a beginner," I announce my intention to begin writing a novel this month—and to complete 50,000 words of it—as a first-time participant in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). And in sharing some gems from Daily Rituals, I discuss some of my own sacred routines, as well as some words of wisdom on discipline and inspiration from Gustave Flaubert, Steve Reich, Samuel Beckett, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and Bernard Malamud.