Connecting with Mike & Adrian

The reality TV show Survivor has been on for 24 years and has over 700 episodes.  Our family has enjoyed watching this together over the years and it always brings up discussions about the choices players have made and how they interact with each other.  We talk about the show and the many lessons to be learned from it if you are a contestant and in our day-to-day lives.

Bickering is when we argue about trivial and seemingly unimportant things.  Working through the reasons for the bickering can help pull us together, but unattended bickering with barbs of personal attacks can push us apart.

We just returned from taking a family vacation to the Happiest Place on Earth and had an Epic adventure.  It made us wonder how we can carry the positive vibes of the theme parks forward into our daily lives.

Do you have an interest or hobby that makes you feel alive and connected?  Gardening and digging in the dirt does that for me.  It connects me to myself, previous generations, and the idea of leaving a space more beautiful.  We hope this episode inspires you to connect with your passions.

When we treat each other with respect it opens the door to healthier relationships.  There are many facets to this simple word and we talk about stories and experiences from our lives as we try to frame it.  Is it earned, given freely, demanded, or mutual?

Identifying our priorities helps us to focus on what we think is important in life.  Discussing these with our loved ones helps us to be on the same page or at least have a better understanding of each other.

These times are filled with plenty of opportunity for unrest that can unsettle us and cause personal and family stress.  We talk about ways to find peace amidst the chaos.

Our parents, TV, movies, books, and those around us provide many examples of types of partner relationships.  It's up to each of us to figure out what works best for ourselves and what we are then looking for in a partner.  We unpack some of the many pieces we consider important to a healthy relationship.

The idea of creativity has been bubbling up lately.  We chat about how it can help us in our problem solving, furniture layout, or our favorite hobby.  We discuss some of our processes and what helps us to be more creative.

There's often more than one way to do something.  We discuss some of our favorite methods across many topics.

Mike shares some stories of his brushes with mortality and we discuss how they can be a call to action in our lives.

When you've got aging parents and raising children, you're right in the middle and part of the sandwich generation.  We talk about the challenges and offer some ideas to keep in balance.

We're back and kicking off season two!  We had an over the top busy year.  After a recap Mike then shares being beyond his limits of overwhelmed and working through it.

Well… we need to extend our break, listen for the details…

We're taking a summer break to rejuvenate, spend time outdoors, and connect with family and friends.  Be sure to set a calendar reminder for September 10th when our next episode will drop.  Thanks for listening and we'll be back soon!  

Father's Day focuses us on our father's and how they shaped us and helped us to be who we are today.  Mike talks about fathering and what it means to him.

Opportunities for new experiences surround us.  Local papers and community calendars often have a list of things to do and explore.  Bring your friends, make some memories, and try something new.

We share stories about our mothers and talk about the influence they had on who we are today.  Adrian shares her thoughts on being a mother and how important that is to her.

An ancient Jewish ritual connects us to our brokenness and heartache, and helps us to learn that we do not have to try to heal alone.  Mike turns to the left as in the ancient ways and shares what's breaking his heart. Link to Simon Sinek - A Bit of Optimism We Cannot Heal Alone with Rabbi Sharon Brous

We all have our favorite things, foods, songs, and so much more.  Our favorites are often tied to special moments in time.  Knowing other people's favorite things can help us connect with them.  Today we share some of ours.

We all have internal power.  Our awareness helps us to better understand ourselves and the world around us.  When we learn and believe in ourselves, our confidence grows and we feel more ready to take on new challenges.  As we tie our awareness and confidence together, our internal power flourishes to self reliance.

The naysayer can stop us in our tracks, save us from pitfalls, or even add fuel to the fire of whatever it is we have set our mind to.  We first discuss the naysayer and how to handle them, and then move on to the positive affects of validation. Link to Validation Video

Winning and losing are thrust upon us at an early age and if we let it, everything can become a competition.  Whether we choose to continually go for the short term win or for the long game, makes all the difference in our relationships, fulfillment, and happiness.

We talk about being intentional in many of our episodes.  A listener asked us to explain the methods of how we can all be more intentional in our daily lives.  So we stepped back, took a look, and share some ideas and thinking that has helped us.

Change is hard, and it can seem like as soon as we get used to the new normal it changes again.  We discuss why change is so hard sometimes and ways that we can prepare ourselves for it and even work through it.