Disagreeing well is a lost art — it seems like our culture has withered down to treating one another as avatars not worthy of an opinion different than our own. But what if knowing how to disagree well not only mattered to our own personal development, but was also a tool in keeping our civilization from crumbling? Seth and Tsh talk about why disagreeing matters so much and how we can do it better. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the...
Jan 21, 2022•52 min
As you remember from the last episode, Seth and Tsh are beginning two audacious six-month challenges. In this episode, Tsh shares hers — to get as much as she can and participate in day-to-day life first and foremost from her 100-mile radius. What does this actually mean? Is this something only “privileged” people can do? And like Seth’s challenge, if we all did this would our souls be more attuned to how we’re meant to live? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round o...
Jan 14, 2022•54 min
To start the new year, Seth and Tsh are beginning two rather audacious six-month challenges — and you’re welcome to join in. First, they unpack Seth’s plan to swear off all social media for six months. How will he fare? Will this affect his work as a writer? And if he decides to stay off, will it affect his ability to publish books? The two friends unpack the connection between the publishing industry and social media, as well as the benefits of living a life without social media. Sacramentally ...
Jan 07, 2022•59 min
As we wind down this year, it’s tempting to jump into the new things we want to do, plan, and declare for another trip around the sun. But before we jump into ideas for the next 12 months, it’s healthy and good to reflect on the previous 12. Seth and Tsh use some of the 20 questions Tsh has published on the internet for the past decade to debrief the year that was 2021. Join in! The show is taking a short break for the holidays. Look for new episodes in a few weeks — happy holidays! (Also, pleas...
Dec 17, 2021•57 min
It’s easy to forget the simple beauty around us, so in this episode, Seth and Tsh continue practicing the habit of noticing the gift of everyday beauty. Their choices aren’t purely holiday-specific, but there is a bent toward that which we enjoy this time of year. As always — as a listener, you’re invited to join them in this time-tested practice of recognizing the daily beauty around you, too! Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the sho...
Dec 10, 2021•28 min
Traditioooooooooon… Tradition! We all have them during the holidays, but why do they matter? Seth and Tsh unpack the sacramentality of leaning into even our smallest of family traditions — because they matter more than as simply “things we do every year.” Traditions remind us we’re not alone, life is bigger than we are, and that we’re time-bound creatures made with a need for routine and rhythm. They’re anchors for our souls, especially when life is hard. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newslett...
Dec 03, 2021•44 min
Advent begins this weekend! Not ready? No big deal. Seth and Tsh talk about how they approach this season that starts the liturgical calendar with a lot of grace, simplicity, and anticipation of their favorite holiday traditions. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Tsh’s 2021 Holiday Gift Guide Drink merch ! Shadow & Light , Tsh’s Advent book Sorrowland , by Rivers Solomon Pride & Prejudice ...
Nov 26, 2021•32 min
Hey guys — this week Seth was traveling for work and Tsh was sick. So, unfortunately, there’s no episode because Seth was sans-mic and NOBODY wants to hear Tsh talking in the non-voice-of-a-voice she’s had (trust us). We’ll be back next week with an episode for your day-after-Thanksgiving, right-before-Advent listening ears! 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...
Nov 19, 2021•3 min
In the last episode, Seth shared a sacramental story from his life. In this one, they continue their chat with Tsh sharing a sacramental story from hers. Because after all, most of the sacred stuff in life shows up in our ordinary moments. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Try Hallow free for 30 days Tsh’s Rule of Life workshop Typhoon’s new album, Sympathetic Magic The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundr...
Nov 12, 2021•45 min
Most of life is lived in the ordinary, so to see the sacred within it we need to pause and name it. This usually comes in the form of storytelling — when we tell family and friends the things that happen to us, we become more aware of the sacramentality n the most mundane things. For the next two episodes, Seth and Tsh each swap a story from their life to recognize and name what’s just beneath the layer. You’re invited to do the same, too, within your ordinary life. Seth: Newsletter | Website Ts...
Nov 05, 2021•48 min
In the last episode, Seth and Tsh chatted about what makes the art we love fall-ish. They continue the chat to talk about the flip side of that coin: what makes the creating of that art fall-ish? Art is a HUGE table here — yes, there’s writing and music-making, but there’s also homemaking, neighborliness, and doing our work well as forms of artistic expression. What does it look like to do these things in the autumnal season? What does it look like to live sacramentally as the leaves drop? Seth:...
Oct 29, 2021•33 min
Stuff has a season, and that includes art. What makes music, movies, books, and visual art fall-ish? Seth and Tsh each share musicians, writers, and visual artists they’re digging as the temps dip and the colors change. Living sacramentally naturally includes living seasonally, so it makes sense to also shift what we read, watch, and listen to as the seasons change. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us...
Oct 22, 2021•34 min
If we knew then what we know now, would we be better off? Or is there something redeemable about the mistakes we all make when we’re younger? Seth and Tsh answer a listener question about any wisdom they might have for their slightly younger listeners — if they were in their twenties right now, this is what their forty-something selves would tell themselves. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! EmyoA...
Oct 15, 2021•51 min
Continuing the conversation about screens, what does it look like in our homes to live sacramentally in a culture immersed in the digital world? There’s no one easy answer. Seth and Tsh, both parents of teens and tweens, talk with Erin Loechner about what this looks like for her, as a mom to three younger children. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Erin Loechner’s website, Design for Mankind Erin’...
Oct 08, 2021•43 min
Seth and Tsh start a two-part conversation about what Seth is learning from a month-long digital detox (Tsh takes one every July, too, so she has her own experiences). What does it mean as writers and creators? Is it even possible to do good, profitable work and not be on social media? In short: what inconveniences are we willing to trade for a more beautiful life? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ...
Oct 01, 2021•43 min
Buon venerdì! Seth and Tsh finally spill the beans… They’re leading a pilgrimage next summer to Italy, and EVERYONE is invited. Yep — that means you and your friends! They’d love to journey with you to a slice of land that’s not only known for its art and beauty, but it knows how to do beauty well. Tuscany is steeped in an artful way of life, and it’s one of their favorite places in the world. From the art to the architecture to the food to the farming to the people and the slower pace of life… ...
Sep 24, 2021•43 min
When you grow up hearing that this world will one day fade away, it’s hard to reconcile why, then, there’s so much astounding beauty everywhere. Seth and Tsh unpack why our invisible souls aren’t the only things that matter. ( Gnosticism is still around, folks.) Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s blackberries As Kingfishers Catch Fire , by Gerard Manley Hopkins God’s Gr...
Sep 17, 2021•46 min
In this episode, Seth and Tsh pull on the thread they started weaving earlier this year, practicing the art and habit of noticing the everyday beauty around them. (After all, it’s not optional if we want to live a sacramental life.) As always — as a listener, you’re invited to nod along and notice your own as well. Join in this time-tested practice! Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! No Fear Shakes...
Sep 10, 2021•41 min
The books we read in childhood have the power to transform us lifelong. So what do we do with the classics that are so good yet have those problematic bits because they’re products of their era? Do we avoid giving our kids these great works because they don’t reflect everything we believe in? Seth and Tsh are joined by fellow writer Mitali Perkins, who has passionate thoughts about why what we read in childhood matters. Her own immigrant story was steeped in stories. Seth: Newsletter | Website T...
Sep 03, 2021•47 min
There’s a purity to our childhood perspectives, and if we’re quiet enough, we can still hear them whisper to us. What do our first experiences with beauty, goodness, and truth tell us about what’s really there? Seth helps Tsh unpack a process he’s recently experienced as he listened to his nine-year-old self. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! The Lord of the Rings , by J.R.R. Tolkien The Philosoph...
Aug 27, 2021•50 min
After a short summer break, Seth and Tsh are back! To kick off another season, they talk about many vs few: why does it matter how many people we follow online, friends we stay connected with, names we know, or celebrities we keep up with? Turns out there’s some anthropological science to the overwhelm we feel when we keep track of thousands of people online yet don’t know our neighbor’s name across the street. Perhaps this isn’t how we’re designed to live? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsle...
Aug 20, 2021•47 min
It’s not just the not doing of something… It often takes a certain proactivity to truly rest. Seth and Tsh talk about what it looks like to rest physically, emotionally, spiritually, and even sensory rest (which we all need more than we realize, what with all our modern sensory input everywhere). Resting well is a game-changer — especially when it’s in tandem with a dignified view of work and real play. This episode puts their first season in the books! Seth and Tsh are taking a short summer bre...
Jul 16, 2021•35 min
It’s a kid’s m.o. to play; it’s how they learn and walk through life. But we adults need to play, too, and some of us (🙋♀️) frequently forget how. Play benefits our health in all sorts of ways, but it’s also just …fun. That’s a gift. Being a real, responsible adult doesn’t mean taking everything seriously. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Leisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef Pieper Interior ...
Jul 09, 2021•37 min
Recognizing beauty is a habit, and it’s also not optional if we want to live a sacramental life. In this episode, Seth and Tsh share specific examples of beauty they’re currently witnessing in their lives, and you’re invited to notice your own as well. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! “We’ve Always Asked the Wrong Question,” on The Commonplace Andrew Wyeth: Website | MoMA Collection Jess Franks o...
Jul 02, 2021•50 min
Good stories matter — we all know this. But how do these good stories shape us, form our imaginations, make us better parents, and remind us what really matters? Why do the best stories sacramentally peel back the surface to reveal what’s really there? Seth and Tsh talk to their friend, novelist Shawn Smucker, about what it means to immerse your life in good stories — and why it’s not optional. To borrow a quip from G.K. Chesterton about children and fairy tales (because it’s just as true for ad...
Jun 25, 2021•57 min
Two episodes ago, Seth and Tsh talked about artists who are no longer alive but still live on through the great art they left us. As a follow-up, in this episode they chat about the artists who are very much alive and are making the world a bit better through their art. Seth's and Tsh's criteria? Artists who aren’t as commonly well-known, as well as people who aren’t out to make a name for themselves as an Influencer™ or ThoughtLeader™. They’re also some who aren’t even literal artists, per se, ...
Jun 18, 2021•37 min
What’s the difference between a vacation and a pilgrimage? A roadtrip to see extended family and stepping somewhere sacred? So much of it has to do with our own mindset about what we’re doing in the first place. ‘Tis the season for summer travel, and after a year-plus of pandemic-tide, so many of us are itching to get the heck outta dodge. Seth & Tsh explore what it means to travel sacramentally — whether you’re flying internationally or driving the next town over. Seth: Newsletter | Website...
Jun 11, 2021•56 min
Our modern culture loves the here-and-now, preferring all our focus tilts towards the latest trends, the newest relevant art, the loudest and most attention-getting current Thought Leader™. But… Will this work and these ideas endure? Some of it, possibly. But a whole lot of what’s applause-seeking now will be forgotten in a year, or decade, or heck — next month. This is why it’s good for us to notice what stuff has stood the test of time, whose art has endured. There are SO many dead people who ...
Jun 04, 2021•44 min
It’s a good thing to have disagreements, but we often forget to have a learner’s posture when we hear the “other side.” Are we surrounding ourselves only with sources and ThoughtLeaders™ that confirm our already-held biases? Or are we willing to genuinely learn? Seth and Tsh lean into GK Chesterton’s insight from almost a century ago: “People generally quarrel because they cannot argue. And it is extraordinary to notice how few people in the modern world can argue.” Seth: Newsletter | Website Ts...
May 28, 2021•45 min
Routines are going to the grocery store on Tuesday mornings, listening to that one podcast in the school pickup line, and brushing your teeth twice a day. What, then, are rituals? Seth and Tsh unpack why they matter — because they tie our actions with our beliefs and values — and why both the big and small ones matter. Weddings and graduations are necessary, yes, but so are Friday pizza-and-movie nights, evening neighborhood walks, and praying along those beads. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: N...
May 21, 2021•40 min
