A Drink With a Friend

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 attune...

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 indu...

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...

It’s easy to forget the simple beauty around us, so in this episode, Seth and Tsh continue practicing the habit of noticing the gift of everyday beauty. Their choices aren’t purely holiday-specific, but there is a bent toward that which we enjoy this time of year. As always — as a listener, you’re invited to join them in this time-tested practice of recognizing the daily beauty around you, too! Se...

Traditioooooooooon… Tradition! We all have them during the holidays, but why do they matter? Seth and Tsh unpack the sacramentality of leaning into even our smallest of family traditions — because they matter more than as simply “things we do every year.” Traditions remind us we’re not alone, life is bigger than we are, and that we’re time-bound creatures made with a need for routine and rhythm. T...

Advent begins this weekend! Not ready? No big deal. Seth and Tsh talk about how they approach this season that starts the liturgical calendar with a lot of grace, simplicity, and anticipation of their favorite holiday traditions. Seth: Newsletter |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Tsh’s  2021 Holiday Gift Guide Drink...

Hey guys — this week Seth was traveling for work and Tsh was sick. So, unfortunately, there’s no episode because Seth was sans-mic and NOBODY wants to hear Tsh talking in the non-voice-of-a-voice she’s had (trust us).  We’ll be back next week with an episode for your day-after-Thanksgiving, right-before-Advent listening ears! Get full access to The Commonplace at thecommon.place/subscribe

In the last episode, Seth shared a sacramental story from his life. In this one, they continue their chat with Tsh sharing a sacramental story from hers. Because after all, most of the sacred stuff in life shows up in our ordinary moments. Seth: Newsletter |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Try Hallow free for 30 day...

Most of life is lived in the ordinary, so to see the sacred within it we need to pause and name it. This usually comes in the form of storytelling — when we tell family and friends the things that happen to us, we become more aware of the sacramentality n the most mundane things. For the next two episodes, Seth and Tsh each swap a story from their life to recognize and name what’s just beneath the...

In the last episode, Seth and Tsh chatted about what makes the art we love fall-ish. They continue the chat to talk about the flip side of that coin: what makes the creating of that art fall-ish? Art is a HUGE table here — yes, there’s writing and music-making, but there’s also homemaking, neighborliness, and doing our work well as forms of artistic expression. What does it look like to do these t...

Stuff has a season, and that includes art. What makes music, movies, books, and visual art fall-ish? Seth and Tsh each share musicians, writers, and visual artists they’re digging as the temps dip and the colors change. Living sacramentally naturally includes living seasonally, so it makes sense to also shift what we read, watch, and listen to as the seasons change. Seth: Newsletter |  Website Tsh...

If we knew then what we know now, would we be better off? Or is there something redeemable about the mistakes we all make when we’re younger? Seth and Tsh answer a listener question about any wisdom they might have for their slightly younger listeners — if they were in their twenties right now, this is what their forty-something selves would tell themselves. Seth: Newsletter |  Website Tsh:  Newsl...

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 |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  ...

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 |  Website Tsh:...

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. Fro...

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 |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! Eli...

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 |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter | ...

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 rea...

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 |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  & help...

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 acro...

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...

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 |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  & help...

Recognizing beauty is a habit, and it’s also not optional if we want to live a sacramental life. In this episode, Seth and Tsh share specific examples of beauty they’re currently witnessing in their lives, and you’re invited to notice your own as well. Seth: Newsletter |  Website Tsh:  Newsletter |  Website Pick up a round of drinks  & help keep the show going Come to Italy with us ! “We’ve Always...

Good stories matter — we all know this. But how do these good stories shape us, form our imaginations, make us better parents, and remind us what really matters? Why do the best stories sacramentally peel back the surface to reveal what’s really there? Seth and Tsh talk to their friend, novelist Shawn Smucker, about what it means to immerse your life in good stories — and why it’s not optional. To...

Two episodes ago, Seth and Tsh talked about artists who are no longer alive but still live on through the great art they left us. As a follow-up, in this episode they chat about the artists who are very much alive and are making the world a bit better through their art. Seth's and Tsh's criteria? Artists who aren’t as commonly well-known, as well as people who aren’t out to make a name for themsel...