In the final episode of the dumpster fire of 2016, we discuss Christmas traditions and examine our privilege. This time, we don’t shy away from current events and our feelings about them. We reflect on how we can resist the current state of afairs with a unified collective narrative and action plan of our own.
Also: Mike is confused about who’s who.
For our annual Thanksgiving episode, we grease the wheels for your holiday travel with the perils and pleasures of Black Friday, getting into the end-of-year contemplative mood, exploring ways to broaden our mindset, and finding peace in stressful times.
We definitely don’t talk about current events, nope, not at all.
Mike’s notes for how to survive this week
Daniel José Older’s tweet/advice
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang
Much to Dan’s chagrin, we recorded this episode during a Bears game. Unsurprisingly, Pinterest is making Toni sick in the brain. Mike got roped into being the math parent, so he complains about homework…which leads into some discussion of education and opening your kids (and yourself) to new possibilities. Also worth noting: Toni’s innards haven’t been right since she rode the chia train.
We’re back! The third season begins with Mike’s new office and what happens when you get everything you wanted. We talk about Toni’s recent move and how asking more of life has meant life has asked more of them in return. Plus the usual doses of parenting, productivity, and navigating your life by the beacon of a fecal fast food franchise.
Mike and Toni spend some time remembering ashtrays before continuing their discussion of stuff and how we release our attachments to it. They also share some thoughts on making your projects a priority when life gets in the way, setting realistic goals, and how forgiveness can help you forge new patterns of productivity.
Mike and Toni consider the slightly silly world of smart appliances before the bulk of this week's discussion on going through Stuff, paper "hoarding," and how we decide what to keep and what to eliminate from our lives.
We touch upon Mike's project, the Life Changing Art of selling a lot of self-help books and ask the burning question, "Where do all the scissors go?"
Last, but not least, we discuss our unabashed affection for The Force Awakens and which Star Wars characters would be good at golf (spoiler alert: probably not Chewbacca).
Back for 2016, Toni helps Mike to get a better handle on overreaching for personal development goals, and to instead focus on what he can be curious and playful about. Toni explains her position on the law of attraction, magical thinking, and pattern recognition.
And that’s not to mention the horror of caricatures, the eldercare shitshow, operating within systems, and kids using tech for unintended purposes. Here’s to a great year ahead, friends!