This might be a dangerous topic to jump into, as many have found great faith in the stories we discuss.  We want to honor faith while discussing and deconstructing the harm that can occur when others impose their faith as fact upon others. Sierra and Bitsy discuss their experiences as "renegades," and the parts of their stories that have been shaped by the politics of churches. Abandoning the structures of church and religions that have been corrupted with power is no small feat, but it is a journey these two ladies are actively choosing every day. 

When someone takes their faith, makes it fact, and uses their version of the truth to condemn the souls of others -- how can anyone set their soul free and reclaim the narrative? These are the questions posed and explored in this week's episode of Wording. 

In true wording fashion, Bitsy and Sierra weave their way through the processes of identifying, categorizing, and understanding why we give persons, places, and things names. Thoughts and feelings become clearer when given a name. This episode is deeply personal, as the girls yarn their way through discussing the meaning and the stories behind their own names. 

Humans find security in understanding, and that understanding can come through naming and categorizing. Titles, labels, and names matter. Can you give yourself a new name? If you do, are you changing parts of who you are? 

Follow us on Instagram: @wording_pod @sierrabruggink @beingbitsy 

This week, Bitsy and Sierra toss around cuss words. These are words that have been determined to be not for polite society. Luckily, we aim to misbehave. Here, the girls discuss how words only have the power that you give them. Whether it's a four-letter word or words that have come to have a demeaning definition - the magic of the word is held by the one who wielded it. 

This is the first episode where Bitsy and Sierra have had to select the option "contains explicit material."  This new adventure into words we have been taught not to say was fun and empowering to record. Enjoy cussing with us! 

Why do we seek scary stories? What painful realities can we see our way out of if we choose to see ourselves in a scary story? These are the questions explored this week on Wording. 

Sierra and Bitsy talk about what scares them, and the stories they have found to make sense of their own darkness. This podcast explores how it doesn't need to be a scary story to scare you. If you can explore your fears, and get to the root of your experiences through the safety of a story, you can change your ending. Maybe fear is fun, maybe we seek scary stories for an adrenaline rush. That rush of feeling alive is something humans seek.  How can we allow ourselves to explore the darkest parts of ourselves, while still remaining grounded in reality and morality? 

Be sure to follow us on Instagram @wording_pod

Check out the stories we reference below.  Sometimes we aren’t able to face these kinds of stories because of our own realities. If anything seems too hard, or scary, pause or stop. We’re glad you’re here. :  

• Stories that explore the complexity of life by Neal Schusterman
• This fun article on why kids should read scary stories 
• Coraline 
• Sierra's favorite scary story
• Tolkien's Lord of the Rings 
• Nabokov's Lolita
• Some rad TV shows: Dexter, You., Peaky Blinders

Wording wasn't where we started. The journey to sharing our stories began as a much bigger idea than just picking random words, reading their dictionary definition, and talking about our personal stories that those words trigger. Stories lead us to the journey creating Wording. This is our story of how the word, "yarn" came to us. To yarn is to tell a long and rambling story. One uses yarn to knit. If you are yarning, are you using words to create a tapestry that tells your story? We think so! Here's us yarning our way through the power of story. 

Sierra is writing a novel. Bitsy is misquoting her favorite authors. "Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." - Neil Gaiman 

Dictionary definition of Yarn: 
Yarn: a long or rambling story, especially one that is implausible.

"he never let reality get in the way of a good yarn"

This week, listen closely to see if you can hear the artistic sounds of swishing paintbrushes on a canvas bringing some clarity and color to this week's word: Family.

Sierra and Bitsy yarn their way through the word "family"

Family is a big word, there's a lot there. This is the definition we referenced.

Blood is thicker than water - Or is it? I'm not even super certain where this phrase really came from. But here are some great articles that I referenced when reading up on this phrase. Here's one ... here's another ... honestly it was a lot of scrolling and clicking and story hunting. 

Wording this week often left both of us at a loss for words. Sierra and Bitsy leap into how the concept of faith has shaped their lives. How can you make sense of the magical world around us? What stories do we use to connect with ourselves and each other? What is this binding force that tethers us to each other and to this massive amazing space rock? What words make us question whether we belong anywhere? Faith in the universe. Faith in stories. Faith in religion. Faith in love. Faith in yourself. Whatever gets you through, we hope you find the faith to keep going.

We love this song: Religion, Colton Avery *title inspo*

Pete Holmes' Bit on life not making any sense... 

Bitsy and Sierra explore how defining behavior as misbehavior is society's way of controlling self-expression. Those who misbehave are daring to be themselves, and being yourself can change the world. 

Dictionary Definition of Misbehave:
verb (used without object), mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.

to behave badly or improperly:
The children misbehaved during our visit.

verb (used with object), mis·be·haved, mis·be·hav·ing.

to conduct (oneself) without regard for good manners or accepted moral standards:
Several of the guests misbehaved themselves.

These words, and many more, inspired this week's episode:

Hant, Myna A. Women Who Misbehave (And Change the World)

The Man Enough Podcast -  basically all of it 

IG: @wording_pod @sierrabru

Episode 2 of Wording takes a journey through Bitsy and Sierra's thoughts and feelings of "home." These thoughts and words were inspired by:
- Heidegger's Building Dwelling Thinking
- Simba's Journey Home
- Happiness is Not a Place by The Wind and the Wave
- Life