In the last episode, Seth & Tsh talked about the benefits of slowing down our lives physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A major benefit is to not burn out — so we can go farther for longer. What does that look like physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? In this episode, they unpack what it means to look at life with a long-view lens. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us...
May 14, 2021•45 min
Walking is good for us, but it takes a while — it’s not the most efficient mode of transportation. But it’s not about efficiency; that’s not the point. What about the other stuff in our life that can benefit from slowness? Seth and Tsh talk about being slow to reply, slow to respond, and slow to assume, and how we all need to do more of it. Seth: Newsletter | Twitter | Instagram | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Twitter | Instagram | Website Support the show — buy the next round of drinks! Subscribe t...
May 07, 2021•45 min
We all know we’re supposed to care about the environment — but what does that look like with a sacramental posture? And what do we do about it besides tossing our plastic and cardboard in the recycling bin? Seth and Tsh admit their own challenges while recognizing the need to do more — sanely. After all, the other two Rs are more effective than the third. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Praise B...
Apr 30, 2021•48 min
After some tragic news a few weeks ago about a friend of Seth’s, he and Tsh unpack what it means to live in our current reality of isolation. So many people are lonely, hurting, or have lost their way, and the best and truest solution is community. Community is the conduit for hope. No one needs to be alone. Let’s fight for hope because it’s literal life or death for some of us. There is genuine sacramental beauty in reaching out to other people. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Webs...
Apr 23, 2021•41 min
Tsh was on a crazy-tight book deadline this week, so in this episode, Seth is talking to none other than his wife Amber! She shares her morning routine when the day’s going well: daily examen, prayer, poetry, and the things she does to get her creative juices flowing. If you need some inspiration for your own morning routine and you’re hankering for a good old-fashioned Southern drawl that makes you smile, you need this conversation. Seth: Newsletter | Website Amber: Instagram | Website Tsh: New...
Apr 16, 2021•42 min
St. Benedict of Nursia created a rule of life for his monastic community, and over a thousand years later we still look to it for inspiration. In this episode, Tsh walks Seth through a method of creating his own personal rule, one that he can tweak and adjust for the rest of his life — and you, dear listener, can do the same. After all, a Rule of Life is simply “a commitment to live your life in a particular way,” which means it’s a stellar tool for helping you say yes and no to the right things...
Apr 09, 2021•51 min
What could be said of Good Friday that hasn’t been said for thousands of years? Today is a day for listening more than talking, for hearing from God more than telling God all we know. Today is a day of mystery, and it’s good for us to sit in the mystery without constantly searching for answers. Seth & Tsh reflect on the goodness that Jesus is God and they are not. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with ...
Apr 02, 2021•32 min
We know what FOMO is — but what about FONO? We’ve all been going through the same collective experience with the pandemic, but as it hopefully winds down (🤞), we might all go through a somewhat surprising form of re-entry (similar to a cross-cultural experience). Seth and Tsh unpack what it means to be hesitant to return to normalcy, knowing full-well that there really is no going back to it. What does it mean to live in a post-pandemic world? And what good stuff can we take with us from our lo...
Mar 26, 2021•47 min
Why does good writing matter, and why does the motive behind the writing matter? Seth and Tsh unpack the previous episode’s topic with Seth’s editor, Stephanie Duncan Smith. The three of them talk about what makes for good reading and writing, why we need better (new) stories, and with Stephanie’s business perspective, the sacramental act of bleeding on paper. This chat’s not just for writers. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Stephanie Duncan Smith: Newsletter | Twitter | Ins...
Mar 19, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Seth and Tsh are primarily writers; it’s the craft they know best and the work they love most. In this chat, they use the art of writing as a springboard to talk about the art of doing all sorts of creativity just for the sake of doing it, for the love of its beauty. Woodworking, music, gardening, even business and other forms of work… We all need to create beauty in our lives for its own sake. How do we balance the work necessary — and the need to earn a living — with the sheer beauty of why we...
Mar 12, 2021•43 min
Tsh is joined by none other than her husband, Kyle! He’s the general contractor of their own fixer-upper renovation, so in this chat they talk about the hidden beauty found behind old walls and wires. What does it mean to live in your own 1935 renovation project that’s taking four years (and counting)? There are lessons everywhere about knowing your land, knowing your walls, and doing the dirty work so your family can live congruent with your values. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | ...
Mar 05, 2021•42 min
(Bonus points if you get this episode title’s reference…) We all have to do it, and even many of the super-wealthy still choose to do it — clearly, it’s not just about bringing home a paycheck. But why bother working well? How do we find meaning in the thing we spend a whole heckuva lot of our waking hours doing? It goes far beyond holding a title of significance or having some surface form of influence. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help ke...
Feb 26, 2021•47 min
Seth is in Arkansas and Tsh is in Texas, which means this week they've been covered under a blanket of snow and ice. It took a while until they could even record at all, but once they did, they did a quick check-in before the power went out again, followed by a more leisurely chat about what it means to survive vs. thrive. What do moments like this — and even moments like the global pandemic — teach us about what it is we truly need to live another day? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter...
Feb 19, 2021•33 min
How do we approach this new season of Lent when it still feels like Lent? We’ve globally experienced the longest Lent of our collective lives, and yet here we are, with Ash Wednesday once again in just a few days. Seth and Tsh talk about their own personal experiences, plus ways recognizing Lent can STILL be good and necessary for all of us. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Goodbye Stranger , by ...
Feb 12, 2021
'Creator' the noun can collapse on its own weight, especially on the internet — but this word doesn't only apply to social media influencers, artists, or inventors. We're all creators. And, as Seth and Tsh are joined around the table by their friend, Haley Stewart, the three talk about whether we just might all be hard-wired in our nature to join in the act of creation more than participating in our culture's default of consumption. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a ...
Feb 05, 2021
Dostoevsky said it will change the world. Confucius said everything has it, but not everyone sees it. Shakespeare, Plato, and others wondered if it was in the eye of the beholder. Beauty matters in our everyday lives; it’s not an extra “nice to have.” But where do we find it? What do we do with it? How does it affect our ordinary lives? And is it subjective or objective? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy wi...
Jan 29, 2021
We all KNOW we’re supposed to work out, but knowing that doesn’t make many of us do it. Seth and Tsh aren’t workout-obsessed, but as working parents in their early 40s who’d like to be around a good while, they’ve reaped the benefits of doing the hard work anyway. How do we find the motivation we need to keep moving, even when we don’t feel like it? Recognizing the sacramentality of our earthly bodies definitely helps. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drink...
Jan 22, 2021
January 6, 2021... How do we make sense of it? The short answer is we don't; the longer answer is that we choose joy, hope, and peace though we've considered all the facts. Seth and Tsh check in on how they're doing with all the news, work through how they deal with the emotions of witnessing a Christian-based insurrection, and process how to still be a good neighbor with those we disagree. The key to everything? Friendship. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of...
Jan 15, 2021
The pace at which we approach life matters. Sometimes, a type-a, guns-a-blazin’ posture works in the moment — but then we end up missing things we otherwise wouldn’t see. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! All the Light We Cannot See , by Anthony Doerr The Seven Story Mountain , by Thomas Merton The Expanse Adrianne Lenker The Practice , by Seth Godin The Chosen Autumn Sessions , by The Gray Havens...
Jan 08, 2021
If you liked the last five special episodes, you'll be stoked to hear this. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe...
Jan 01, 2021
Humans love (and learn best through) stories. But we have so many options at our fingertips compared to all of human history that it’s now a virtue to curate well what we make time for and allow in our imaginations. Tsh and Seth explore what it means to curate stories as a sacramental act (and also share some of their favorites). Seth’s website and newsletter Tsh’s website and newsletter It’s not too late to order Shadow & Light The Common Rule , by Justin Whitmel Earley “ Bad Art Warps Our ...
Dec 18, 2020•48 min
Doomscrolling is a new-but-real habit in our culture, and it’s not good for us — yet we all fall prey to its siren song of despair. What’s the counter, even sacramental, practice for staying informed and involved without losing hope? Seth and Tsh have thoughts and ideas. Seth’s website and newsletter Tsh’s website and newsletter It’s not too late to order Shadow & Light Onyx coffee – Monarch Laity Lodge It Can’t Happen Here , by Sinclair Lewis The Social Dilemma (on Netflix) Doomscrolling as...
Dec 11, 2020•52 min
It's always been easy in our culture to numb ourselves so we don't have to face honest truth, goodness, and beauty. ...The temptation's been even stronger in 2020. So what does it look like these days to posture ourselves toward healthy adoration — to devote ourselves to what is actually true, good, and beautiful, even when it's hard? Tsh talks with Seth Haines over drinks. Seth’s website and newsletter Tsh’s website and newsletter It's not too late to order Shadow & Light Seth's habit track...
Dec 04, 2020•53 min
The conversation continues over drinks as Tsh Oxenreider and Seth Haines talk about Advent, why leaning into the liturgical calendar's rhythms is a gift, and how it's an outcome of thinking more sacramentally. Seth’s website and newsletter Tsh’s website and newsletter Order Shadow & Light and join the Advent Community The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life , by Joan Chittister Offerings , by Typhoon The Divine Comedy , by Dante Alighieri Browse Tsh’s recommended b...
Nov 20, 2020•43 min
The next few episodes will feature a special series called A Drink With a Friend. Tsh talks with her longtime friend and fellow writer Seth Haines, where over drinks they'll discuss what's meant by "sacramental living." What the heck does that word mean? How is it different than just being religious? And what does it have to do with our day-to-day life? A lot, it turns out. Seth's website and newsletter Tsh’s website and newsletter The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell The Insp...
Nov 13, 2020•40 min
Right now it’s all the more important to take in current events as necessary, then purposely stop the news feeds and take in other things as well. These five help, either by helping us stay informed or by helping us recalibrate with something besides the news. Throughline from NPR / episode: The Evangelical Vote Pantsuit Politics / episode: Political Shifts Jesuitical from America Media / episode: Joe Biden’s Catholic Faith On This Day in Esoteric Political History from Radiotopia / episode: The...
Oct 30, 2020•12 min
It’s okay to not be exceptional — really. Also, our metrics for success are really odd, and don’t forget about art. How to Say Goodbye Why You Don’t Need to Be Exceptional Tall Poppy Syndrome Shadow & Light Browse Tsh’s recommended books Create Your Rule of Life ThirdLove.com/GOODLIST This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe...
Oct 23, 2020•15 min
We know they’re good for us, but why? And how? Tsh’s teen daughter Tate has discovered a new love for plants this year (thanks, quarantine), so she’s taking over the pod with this quick episode about how we can add more green to our life. Tsh’s new book, Shadow & Light Browse Tsh’s recommended books Create Your Rule of Life Rothys.com/goodlist This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe...
Oct 16, 2020•10 min
Many of you call me often to tell me about something on your own good lists... Here's a collection of them. Shadow & Light Browse Tsh’s recommended books Create Your Rule of Life This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe...
Oct 09, 2020•17 min
Because of this paradox about the internet: that it can be both a thing of beauty and a dumpster fire, we all have to do our individual parts to make it more of the first description: a place of needed connection, education, encouragement, and personal and communal growth, and much, much less of the latter. There's more than one way we can do this, but this episode is about one specific idea. Shadow & Light Browse Tsh’s recommended books Create Your Rule of Life (pay what you want) Who Tsh s...
Oct 02, 2020•17 min
