A Drink With a Friend

It's June, which means Seth and Tsh are at the end of their first of the year challenges. Seth updates us on what he's learned being away from social media for six months, what he'll do differently, and what he misses. Tsh chimes in on her reflections about using our phones as instruments instead of devices so that the internet returns to how it works best: as a bicycle for the mind. Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsThe Life We’re Looking For, by Andy CrouchDigital Minimalism, by Cal NewportMohamed El-Erian on TwitterStephanie Duncan Smith on InstagramMan and His Symbols, by Carl JungThe Liturgy of the Hours, from Word on Fire 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

Hobbies aren't just the things we do whenever we have spare time — they're actually important to our health. The things we do just because we enjoy them, staying at amateur status for the love of the craft, starting at the beginning and learning from zero, make us more of who we're made to be. Seth and Tsh each share some of their favorite hobbies and why they're so important to them.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsLeisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef PieperBand of BrothersVivian Maier 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 moseys by a river and sits among the birds to explain what's up this week. He and Tsh be back next week with a new episode! Stay tuned. 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

Both Seth and Tsh became Catholic just a few years ago, as adults after a lifetime of being Protestant. Why? ...That's the question they get asked by many of you ALL the time. In this episode, they dip their toes in the water of answering this massive question that doesn't have just one answer, focusing first more on Tsh's journey. (This will likely be an ongoing series, peppered throughout other chats...) Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022!Our recommended readsPink House Alchemy Tsh’s Catholic research Fr. Mike on ‘why be Catholic and not just Christian’How to Read (and Write) Like a Catholic, by Joshua HrenHenri Cartier-Bresson 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 the end of the school year, and May is always nuts. When life feels flustered, it's grounding to remember the ordinary things adding beauty to our days. Seth and Tsh each share what they're currently reading, watching, and listening to that are bringing them more joy and insight.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022!Our recommended readsTsh's Summer 2022 playlist ​​ The Black Keys, Typhoon, Jason Isbell, & S. Carey's ParalyzedLearning the Good Life, edited by Jessica Hooten Wilson & Jacob Stratman  The Wall Street JournalPrinciples for Dealing With The Changing World Order, by Ray DalioCultivating Catholic Feminism video seriesInventing Anna on Netflix Under the Banner of Heaven on Hulu Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer  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

How do we connect with people when our differences are exacerbated by algorithms and echo chambers? Seth and Tsh are joined around the table by their friends Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart-Holland from the podcast Pantsuit Politics — together, they chat about what it looks like to listen and learn from others when it feels like we disagree on almost everything.Beth and Sarah's podcast, Pantsuit PoliticsTheir new book, Now What?Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022!Our recommended readsConflict is Not Abuse, by Sarah SchulmanThe Biggest Little Farmi thank you god for most this amazing, by e.e. cummingsSouthland in the Springtime, by Indigo GirlsGlow Up 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

Particular places in the world matter, whether they're your grandma's childhood home or the Sistene Chapel. Going to them matters, too, and it's a privilege and honor to do so because the journey, the arrival, and the conversations once we're there shape us for the better. Go to them when you can.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinksCome to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022!Our recommended readsTornado Trackers podcastStation Eleven on HBOFour Seasons in Rome, by Anthony Doerr 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

You don't need all the people, you just need your people. This is the premise of an idea penned over a decade ago that still serves as a bellwether for Seth and Tsh's work, that they're on the right track. It can be applied in all parts of life, and is especially true when we're tempted to work like someone else.Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with usOur recommended reads1,000 True FansTsh's ideal reader, JuliaStephanie Duncan SmithEmily P. FreemanThe Science of Storytelling, by Will StorrThe Invisible Life of Addie Larue, by V.E. Schwab 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 been a doozy of a week, so Tsh and Seth weren't able to chat — instead, they're re-sharing with you a chat from spring 2021. Perhaps you haven't yet heard it, or perhaps you're due for a re-listen. ...Either way, enjoy!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 | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsAncient Nutrition Bone BrothMark Sparrow’s tweet@findinginterestingpeopleAtlas Obscura Podcast 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

Two episodes ago, Seth updated us on how his six-month challenge was faring, halfway through. Now it's Tsh's turn. Her challenge is to live as much as she can within her 100-mile radius — what does that mean, though? How do we live according to our unique values without being legalistic? And how do we gracefully handle the privilege that most of us have?Seth: Newsletter | WebsiteTsh: Newsletter | WebsitePick up a round of drinks & help keep the show goingCome to Italy with usOur recommended readsCreate your own Rule of LifeA 100-Mile Life, Tsh's initial challenge explanation1984, by George OrwellThe Science of Storytelling, by Will Storr On Writing, by Stephen King 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