I TOLD you I’d be bringing it back and here we are! I think it’s a good idea to restart the numbering with the new year. Don’t you?  Here comes Podcast Roundup #1 of 2023!

I’ve written about my weekly (or so) drive into the city before and about how much I love driving. I do love driving. When I hear someone complain about traffic or how they wouldn’t go to such-and-such a place because they’d have to drive there, I look at them in a confused manner.

What’s terrible about driving?!

Don’t get me wrong here. I KNOW firsthand what’s terrible, but the positives FAR outweigh the negatives in my opinion and having time to listen to multiple podcasts is a big chunk of the positive. It’s like having extra reading time!

Fun (or creepy, depends on how you look at it) Sidenote: Since I’m a bit obsessive about keeping track of things, I’ve decided to keep a spreadsheet to track what shows I listen to, the topics, and the time I spend. Yeah… that’s me… Coo-coo for Coco Puffs in all the best ways!

I took advantage of two podcasts on the way out and two on the way back, one that made me roll my eyes and one of which is new to me. I’m going to give you one of my takeaways from each episode and the link to the episode directly, so you can go over and see if it’s something you want to listen to!

Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield – Ep 171 A Light in the Dark

              “Forgiveness is giving up all hope of a better past.” I attempted to find the source of this quote but gave up. Anne Lamott used it in one of her books and said she didn’t know who said it. I’m leaving it there. It doesn’t matter anyway. It’s awesome and very useful. Jack Kornfield’s talks are filled with one story after another. Sometimes he rambles and I have no idea where he’s going. I’m not all that sure he does either, but I always find something awesome in that hour, so I keep listening. It’s like life itself. You just keep going and seeing what you find along the way.

ReThinking with Adam Grant – The Psychology of Human Delusions with Filmmaker Adam McKay

              This is the one I rolled my eyes at. I think they’re being a bit pretentious. Yes, you’ve made some very popular films, but you’re operating under some delusions as well. I think he knows that though. We all are.

Feminine Chaos – The Kiss of Death, the Death of Kissing

              This was the new one for me. I heard them interviewed on a Quillette podcast recently and wanted to hear more. I was not disappointed. My takeaway? “A frictionless society does not exist.” And “Friction is not trauma.” Have we lost the ability to move against and along with other human beings? Do we go out into the world (online and in person) thinking a good day is one where we find absolutely no conflict whatsoever? I’m guilty of this myself. Something to work on!

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos – Stop Endlessly Chasing the “Next Big Thing” in 2023

              I didn’t listen to this podcast so much last season because she focused on parenting and since I’m retired, I wasn’t all that interested. This first episode of 2023 brought me back. Do you chase the next big thing? I used to, and still do in many small ways. This episode reminded me to stop and realize that right here, right now, is pretty good. That doesn’t mean I can’t look forward to the future and all it might bring. It just means that happiness isn’t out there, it’s right here.

And that’s it for today! It’s raining like crazy as I write this and… I just realized the power is out. That’s funny… I was sitting here thinking and something felt off. It’s too quiet. Wait a minute… the power it out! I guess posting this to the interwebs will have to come later. I was getting hungry anyway…and (lucky me) I started reading a new novel this morning and now I have an excuse to sit and read it for another hour… or two… Snacks first!

UPDATE: I was able to write this on my laptop, but my internet doesn’t work without power so I had to wait to post. It finally came back on! Yay!