A Drink With a Friend

It's now Tsh's turn to update us on her six-month challenge: what she's learned living as best she can in a 100-mile radius. She and Seth talk about the importance of subsidiarity, reorienting our priorities, finding community IN an actual community (vs. online), and doing it all imperfectly. Is living locally worth the effort? Tsh has thoughts. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads Seth's challenge: 6 months away from social media The Life We’re Looking For, by Andy Crouch Free online classes from Hillsdale College — Tsh is taking Aristotle's Ethics Man and His Symbols, by Carl Jung

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads The Life We’re Looking For, by Andy Crouch Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport Mohamed El-Erian on Twitter Stephanie Duncan Smith on Instagram Man and His Symbols, by Carl Jung The Liturgy of the Hours, from Word on Fire

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads Leisure: The Basis of Culture, by Josef Pieper Band of Brothers Vivian Maier

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.

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022! Our recommended reads Pink 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 Hren Henri Cartier-Bresson

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022! Our recommended reads Tsh's Summer 2022 playlist ​​  The Black Keys, Typhoon, Jason Isbell, & S. Carey's Paralyzed Learning the Good Life, edited by Jessica Hooten Wilson & Jacob Stratman   The Wall Street Journal Principles for Dealing With The Changing World Order, by Ray Dalio Cultivating Catholic Feminism video series Inventing Anna on Netflix  Under the Banner of Heaven on Hulu  Under the Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer 

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 Politics Their new book, Now What? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022! Our recommended reads Conflict is Not Abuse, by Sarah Schulman The Biggest Little Farm i thank you god for most this amazing, by e.e. cummings Southland in the Springtime, by Indigo Girls Glow Up on Netflix

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks Come to Italy with us — $250 off when you register by May 31, 2022! Our recommended reads Tornado Trackers podcast Station Eleven on HBO Four Seasons in Rome, by Anthony Doerr

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads 1,000 True Fans Tsh's ideal reader, Julia Stephanie Duncan Smith Emily P. Freeman The Science of Storytelling, by Will Storr The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, by V.E. Schwab

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads Ancient Nutrition Bone Broth Mark Sparrow’s tweet @findinginterestingpeople Atlas Obscura Podcast

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 | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads Create your own Rule of Life A 100-Mile Life, Tsh's initial challenge explanation 1984, by George Orwell The Science of Storytelling, by Will Storr  On Writing, by Stephen King

There's something life-giving in uttering the phrase, "I guess I haven't learned that yet." Seth and Tsh talk with their friend Shauna Niequist about how she's learned to exhale and relearn how her life could be. Through moving to a new city, leaving known familiarity into uncharted territory, and questioning just about everything, Shauna found some much-needed freedom in the sacramentality of a learner's posture. Shauna's new book, I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet Shauna on Instagram Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads The Book of Delights, by Ross Gay Walking on Water, by Madeleine L'Engle Ask Me: 100 Essential Poems of William Stafford

It's about halfway through Seth's challenge to stay off social media for the first six months of 2022. How have the first three months been? Will anything change for the next three months? He and Tsh talk some more about big-picture social media: does it work as a public square? When is censorship called for, and when does it violate free speech? And are the positives ultimately worth all the negatives? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us Our recommended reads How big tech is strangling your freedom on Honestly Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, by Amanda Montell Around the World in 80 Days on PBS

When life is busy — like Seth's right now, or when life is slower — like Tsh's, who just started a short teaching break — it's a good time to remember good things. In this episode, they chat about three things each that are currently adding more beauty to their lives: a thing they're listening to, reading, and watching. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Wendell Berry's New Collected Poems The Woman at the Wall of St. Michael's, Seth’s poem for Ukraine The Abolition of Man​, by C.S. Lewis Half Moon Run + newsletter Mountain Man Bari Weiss’ episode on Honestly, Things Worth Fighting For The Last Kingdom on Netflix All Creatures Great and Small on PBS

We’ve all heard of the seven deadly sins, but what good does it do to think about them in our modern, well-intentioned lives? Maybe more to the point — why does contemplating about them bring us hope? It’s because of their corresponding virtues. Seth and Tsh talk about what this looks like in their own lives. As a reference, here are the seven pairs of vices and virtues: Pride: A desire for excellence in excess of right reason Humility: A rightly-ordered estimation of excellence Gluttony: A disordered desire for good things Temperance: A desire to keep good things in their rightful place Lust: A disordered desire for pleasure Chastity: A rightly-ordered desire for pleasure Envy: Sorrow for another’s good Love: To will the good of the other Greed: A desire for more than is needed Generosity/charity: A desire for enough for all Anger: A desire for vengeance contrary to reason Meekness: Power under control Sloth: Sorrow for spiritual good; the absence of care Diligence: Taking care to do what we value most Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s book for Lent The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, by Lisa See Putin Country: A Journey Into the Real Russia, Anne Garrel

When big global events happen — like Russia invading Ukraine — what can we possibly do in our small, ordinary lives to make any difference? Seth and Tsh chat about how they’ve been talking about the news with their kids, how they’ve been processing it for themselves, and what we might learn from the past to forge ahead soberly toward the future. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s new book The Bitter & Sweet playlist The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis World War II in Color on Netflix The War by Ken Burns, on PBS On the Shortness of Life, by Seneca

Seth is off doing lawyer-y things this week, so Tsh talks to friend Joy Clarkson about, essentially, Wendell Berry’s beloved quip, “Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.” Why is it not only a good idea to pursue happiness — it’s necessary? And perhaps counter-cultural to our doomscroll-obsessed modern ways? Joy and Tsh talk about where real happiness is found, what it means to unironically enjoy what we love, and why doing so even makes us better neighbors. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Joy Clarkson and her new book, Aggressively Happy Joy on Twitter and Instagram The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s new book for Lent

As friends do, in this episode Seth and Tsh come to table to talk about whatever. Like the nerds they are, they end up talking about Romantic poetry, the end of the world, and more. Pull up a chair and join in! Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s book for Lent Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel The Road, by Cormac McCarthy Principles for Dealing With the Changing World Order, by Ray Dalio “To Sleep,” by John Keats The Art of Lent, by Sr. Wendy Beckett Exploring Alternatives on YouTube

Seth is off social media for the first half of 2022, and Tsh is limiting most of her family’s resources to her 100-mile radius. How’s it going? What are we learning? We chat about these things, plus whether we think these practices might be a net-positive for you, too. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Bitter & Sweet, Tsh’s new book Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel The Family Garden Plan, by Melissa K. Norris

Liz Gilbert once said that if she didn’t write, she’d become a farm dog and chew up the couch. Why do we partake in creative pursuits if we’re not going to profit financially from it? Lots of reasons, actually. Tsh and Seth chat with their friends Maile and Shawn Smucker about what they’ve been learning about why they have an insatiable need to create — and why every one of us needs to as well. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Seth’s latest thoughts on why he writes The Gap The Nine-Month Novel, led by Maile & Shawn Smucker Video of a Novel, Shawn’s new Substack Journal of a Novel, by John Steinbeck The Gospel in Gerard Manley Hopkins, by Margaret Ellsberg The Moviegoer, by Walker Percy Nobody Reads Poetry

We have SO MANY choices these days — on what to watch, what to listen to, what to read. We know well the feeling of opening a streaming service and indefinitely scrolling instead of clicking ‘play’ because of the inability to make a choice. So how do we choose? How do we all decide what deserves our attention and what we should just scroll past? After all, even with seemingly infinite choices, we still have a finite amount of time and focus. Seth & Tsh chat about how to decide what deserves a spot on our bookshelves, on our Family Movie Night agendas, and ultimately, in our personal and familial cultures. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Oatly 2021 Super Bowl commercial Keep or Toss? from Joel Miller Soul-Crushing, Family-Friendly Inspirational Trash from Joshua Gibbs New West Knifeworks Garden Maker, by Christie Purifoy

Disagreeing well is a lost art — it seems like our culture has withered down to treating one another as avatars not worthy of an opinion different than our own. But what if knowing how to disagree well not only mattered to our own personal development, but was also a tool in keeping our civilization from crumbling? Seth and Tsh talk about why disagreeing matters so much and how we can do it better. Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Tiny House Coffee Roasters in Austin Elizabeth Lesser on taking the “other” to lunch The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles 100 Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez

As you remember from the last episode, Seth and Tsh are beginning two audacious six-month challenges. In this episode, Tsh shares hers — to get as much as she can and participate in day-to-day life first and foremost from her 100-mile radius. What does this actually mean? Is this something only “privileged” people can do? And like Seth’s challenge, if we all did this would our souls be more attuned to how we’re meant to live? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Tsh’s 100-Mile Life experiment Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver How Luxury Beliefs Hurt the Rest of Us, Too on Honestly The CCC on Subsidiarity Joseph Massey’s Substack

To start the new year, Seth and Tsh are beginning two rather audacious six-month challenges — and you’re welcome to join in. First, they unpack Seth’s plan to swear off all social media for six months. How will he fare? Will this affect his work as a writer? And if he decides to stay off, will it affect his ability to publish books? The two friends unpack the connection between the publishing industry and social media, as well as the benefits of living a life without social media. Sacramentally speaking, would our souls be more attuned to how we’re meant to live? Or is there a benefit we’d miss? Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! Seth’s social media habit-kicking experiment The Social Dilemma documentary Unhook Chrome Extension — remove YouTube’s algorithm recommendations What I Learned Taking a Year-Long Break From Social Media Digital Minimalism, by Cal Newport Principles for Dealing With the Changing World Order, by Ray Dalio A Nature Poem Every Night of the Year, edited by Jane McMorland Hunter

As we wind down this year, it’s tempting to jump into the new things we want to do, plan, and declare for another trip around the sun. But before we jump into ideas for the next 12 months, it’s healthy and good to reflect on the previous 12. Seth and Tsh use some of the 20 questions Tsh has published on the internet for the past decade to debrief the year that was 2021. Join in!The show is taking a short break for the holidays. Look for new episodes in a few weeks — happy holidays!(Also, please note the sound quality is not up to our standards in this episode — we apologize for the inconvenience.) Seth: Newsletter | Website Tsh: Newsletter | Website Pick up a round of drinks & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us! 20+ Questions For a New Year Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh 40 Reasons I’m a Catholic, by Peter Kreeft An Immovable Feast, by Tyler Blanski (on backorder, but it’s on Schlamazon) The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius The Bear Grease podcast The 25th: New & Selected Christmas Essays, by Joshua Gibbs