These days, we seem to think we already know everything we need to know about everybody else, when in fact we only know our own opinions about them. What if we were more curious?Note: This podcast will be discontinued in a few weeks. Thereafte

"What Could Keep You Warmer Than This?"

Oct 31st, 2020 9m 16s

Phyllis reflects on the "three-ring circus of community" that followed last week's invitation to sign her red "I AM PART OF EVERYBODY" coat. Guaranteed to warm your spirits!This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for t

"Let Me Carry You on My Back"

Oct 24th, 2020 8m 38s

Phyllis is wearing her bright red winter coat again, decorated with hundreds of signatures from strangers in at least eight languages. A visual reminder of the power of community, it's big enough to hold the world. Care to sign? Email her at ph

"The Clarinet in the Attic"

Oct 18th, 2020 9m 7s

This love story between a man, his wife, and his clarinet nudges us to tap into our creative self when going through a tough patch. Doing so helps to restore balance in our wounded spirits.This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Ca

"Covering Our Part of the Garden"

Oct 10th, 2020 9m 9s

These days I'm seeing a lot of tired people. “Pandemic fatigue” or “coronavirus burnout,” the experts are calling it. But the garden teaches us we can't rush what can't be rushed.This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package

"Follow the Nudge"

Oct 3rd, 2020 8m 34s

Creative inspiration (the Muse) often comes as a surprise visitor, as if from beyond ourselves. Here's what to do when the Muse visits you. (Learn more about the poem-book in this episode.)This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Ca

"Laughing in the Dark"

Sep 26th, 2020 9m

A night hike inspires pure wonderment at how magical the world appears in varied shades of black; at how, without light, our eyes surrender to the guidance of other senses; at how phenomenally those senses team up to navigate a safe way through

"Laughing at the Silver Linings"

Sep 5th, 2020 9m 18s

Gratefulness and humor can help us meet and overcome adversity. In that spirit, here's a rather light-hearted list of 45 silver linings Phyllis has found in the clouds of her pandemic isolation. (She'll be on hiatus the next two weeks.)This p

"The Table and the Tap"

Aug 29th, 2020 7m 57s

All around us, small, frightened voices are saying, “What you need is gone.” The voice of abbondanza says, “What you need is here. Even now.” What we need is within us, among us, around us—just waiting to be tapped. This podcast is part of St

"A Pandemic Letter to My 17-Year-Old Son"

Aug 22nd, 2020 7m 57s

Sometimes a childhood game is just a game. Sometimes it's far more. This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Get your free subscription here.

"The Same Job As Always"

Aug 15th, 2020 7m 39s

In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, some of us want—even need—our children to return physically to school. Others of us can’t bear the thought of it. How do we come together?This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package fo

"The Dugnad in Our DNA"

Aug 8th, 2020 8m 41s

The Norwegian word dugnad (doog-nod) is the collective effort of individuals who temporarily sacrifice their personal desires for the benefit of their community or country, especially in hardship. Maybe we've all got some dugnad inside us.This

"On Top of the Pyramid"

Aug 1st, 2020 7m 45s

Asking for help—like offering it—can lead to great and unexpected things.This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Get your free subscription here.

"Birthplace"

Jul 25th, 2020 8m 10s

A visit to the headwaters of the Mississippi River yields valuable lessons for living through a pandemic, or just living, period.This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Get your free subscription he

"A Bit of Heaven"

Jul 11th, 2020 7m 40s

The words of a retired firefighter and the death of a 10-year-old boy prompt this meditation on kindness. it’s a “pebble in the water” whose ripples spread in ways we’ll never be aware of. This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Ca

"Circling the Pond"

Jul 4th, 2020 7m 11s

On this July 4th holiday weekend, a story from a long ago Independence Day inspires the desire for greater interdependence.This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Get your free subscription here.

"I Want to Play"

Jun 27th, 2020 8m

Do you work hard? Sometimes too hard? Call it “passion” or “devotion” or “loving what you do,” but it is possible to have too much of a good thing. For now, take a break and join Phyllis on the playground of poetry. This podcast is part of St

"You Don't Want to Go There"

Jun 20th, 2020 7m 46s

In this Father's Day episode Phyllis recounts a remarkable story from her family's 1976 bicentennial vacation. When help comes in an unexpected form, are we willing to receive it?This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package

"The Secret of Blooming"

Jun 13th, 2020 7m 46s

The sun’s setting fast. You hurry, wanting to walk home before dark. But you glimpse a line of people in the backyard of a humble house. They're ranked like a row of tin soldiers, socially distanced, standing at attention. What are they up to?

"The One True Thing"

Jun 6th, 2020 8m 4s

The world's a hard schoolroom. Our homework is overwhelming: Slow the pandemic. Create tens of millions of jobs. End police brutality. Establish racial justice.... Every assignment counts heavily and is already overdue. Where to begin? By remem

"We Are the Medicine"

May 30th, 2020 8m 56s

Yet another African-American is dead at the hands of police: George Floyd, in Minneapolis. The coronavirus has only aggravated our country’s “pre-existing morbidities,” including white supremacy. The recovery of the nation depends on us. This p

"On Blessings & Camouflage"

May 23rd, 2020 8m 56s

Sometimes blessings come well-camouflaged. Other times, not. How disguised are we?This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Get your free subscription here.

"Pomp Amid Circumstances"

May 16th, 2020 8m 5s

Every day is a graduation from who we were to who we will be. Regardless of our circumstances, it's worth some humble but jubilant pomp. This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Get your free subscripti

"Slice of Pie"

May 9th, 2020 7m 39s

Gratitude is a form of love. It challenges us to push nothing away; to welcome everything that happens as an unexpected visitor to the guest house of our life.This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Care Package for the Pandemic. Ge

"Signature on the Letter of History"

May 2nd, 2020 7m 39s

Anything good we ever accomplish as a society will be due, in part, to our teachers. That good will be their indelible signature on the letter of history, surviving long after they're gone. This podcast is part of Staying Power: Your Virtual Ca