A Drink With a Friend

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Erin Loechner’s website, Design for MankindErin’s recent essay, Who We FollowThe Tech-Wise Family, by Andy CrouchDigital Minimalism, by Cal NewportThe Sober Lush, by Amanda Eyre Ward and Jardine LibaireEast of Eden’s introduction, by John SteinbeckMunk Debates 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Digital Minimalism and Deep Work, by Cal NewportThe Storm is Upon Us, by Mike RothschildAdorning the Dark and God of the Garden, by Andrew PetersonAxel Vervoordt: Wabi Inspirations, by Tatsuro Miki 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

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… Pilgrimage to Italy next summer to experience the via pulchritudinis.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Silence in the Age of Noise, by Erling KraggIt’s Not Fall, Folks on Spotify + Stockbridge candle from Laurel Mercantile 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s blackberriesAs Kingfishers Catch Fire, by Gerard Manley HopkinsGod’s Grandeur, by Gerard Manley Hopkins 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!No Fear Shakespeare: HamletHamlet on YouTube: David Tennant, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew ScottStrange BrewMozart’s RequiemAndrew PetersonVivian Maier’s A Photographer FoundEva to Ave by Santa Clara DesignVirgin Mary, by Sr. Maria Innocentia HummelAmbience videos on YouTube 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Mitali Perkins: Twitter | Instagram | WebsiteMitali’s new book, Steeped in Stories: Bookshop | AmazonThe Chair on NetflixDigital Minimalism, by Cal NewportThe Book of Waking Up, by SethWhy Art Matters, by Alistair GordonA Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year (and Night), by Jane McMorland Hunter 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. TolkienThe Philosophy of Tolkien, by Peter KreeftDrew Binsky on YouTubeThe Summer of Helga, by SethThe Suns We Orbit: Lessons Learned From Leaving the Church, by Seth 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Orgain protein powderDunbar’s Number: Why My Theory That Humans Can Only Maintain 150 Friendships Has Withstood 30 Years of Scrutiny, by Robin DunbarBear Grease Podcast1,000 True Fans, by Kevin KellyBrideshead Revisited, by Evelyn WaughStart With Why, by Simon SinekThe Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell 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

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 break to REST, but they’ll be back soon.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!The 7 Types of Rest that Every Person Needs, by Sandra Dalton-Smith, MDHow Soft Fascination Helps Restore Your Tired Brain, by Markham HeldLeisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef PieperRest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, by Alex Soojung-Kim PangThis Is Where You Belong, by Melody WarnickManifest on NBC (and on Netflix) 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

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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with us!Leisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef PieperInterior Castle, by St Teresa of Avila (selected passages)An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, by Helene Tursten 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