Gathering Gold

Reclaiming Joy

We all want to experience joy, but sometimes it can feel out of reach. Sometimes, the more we chase joy, the faster it slips beyond our reach. And yet, as Sheryl so often teaches, what we water will grow. We can create conditions favorable to joy.

In today's episode, we discuss joy as not a luxury but a necessity; joy as an act of resistance and a fraternal twin to grief; how joy lies hidden just beneath the surface of ordinary, everyday magic; and how we can tap into that magic with subtle shifts in our choices and perspective. 

References:

• Sheryl’s new course: Reclaiming Joy 
• Why It’s Hard to Receive Good Things
• Adding Good Things
• The Healing Anxiety Workbook

Join us on Patreon for bonus content and virtual gatherings: patreon.com/gatheringgold

The Upside of OCD with Michael Alcee

Today's very special guest, Michael Alcée, is author of the book The Upside of OCD: Flight the Script to Reclaim Your Life. In our conversation, Michael explains what he means and does not mean when he talks about the "upside" of OCD; why Michael thinks all people with OCD start out as mini-existentialists and poets; and the key missing ingredient in many of our contemporary treatments for OCD.

How can OCD be both meaningless and meaningful at the same time? What messages might OCD be trying to deliver to us, if we only know how to listen? All of this and more in today's episode.

True Abundance

It is a common refrain these days: we live in a culture of scarcity mindset. We are bombarded with messages of never enough, implicitly and explicitly warned that there is not enough money, time, attention, or even love for all of us. These messages shift us into fearful perspectives, limiting our ability to see and receive all the goodness around us.

In a world where so many people are lacking basic survival needs and systems of care, we wrestle with dueling feelings of fear and guilt, aware that "it could be worse," and yet, struggling to feel into the fullness that we sense is right here, if only we could reach out and touch it.

So, what is true abundance? And how do we contact it?

That's what we're exploring in today's episode.

References:

• The Book of Joy by the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• Gathering Gold Bonus Episode: "What’s for Dinner?"
• Documentary Happy (2012)
• The Soul of Money by Lynn Twist
• Gathering Gold episode "The Goodness of Ordinary Life"

 

(Gently) Stretching Our Comfort Zones (Patreon Bonus)

We're sharing a Patreon exclusive to our Gathering Gold feed today!

In this episode, we're responding to our patron Jenny's question about how to deal with the discomfort and fear that comes along with stretching our comfort zones.

We talk about values-based actions, purpose and meaning, our individual window of tolerance, and the importance of self-compassion.

Visit patreon.com/gatheringgold to gain access to 30+ bonus episodes, with new ones coming out each month! 

100 Hours of Gathering Gold

Welcome to the 100th episode of Gathering Gold!

Today, we take a moment to pause and reflect on what it has meant to commit to this podcast for four years and regularly make trips together to fill up from a well of nourishing waters--waters of deep listening, conversation, reflection, and compassion. We talk about how and why we have tried to make this podcast a refuge, how it has impacted our relationship as family/friends/collaborators, and in what ways it has changed our own behavior and ways of thinking.

We hope this episode inspires you to take a moment to pause, appreciate, and reflect on one of your own commitments in life, how it has changed you, and what gold you gather from showing up again and again! 

Making Decisions

In contemporary society, we face more choices--and more decisions--than ever before. This can sometimes feel like a curse as much as it is also a blessing, especially for those of us struggle with indecisiveness. 

In today's episode, we discuss mindsets around decision-making that can help us find more ease around the little decisions ("What should I order from the menu?") and the big decisions ("Should I quit my job?"). 

References:

• Dr. Russ Harris article about hard decisions
• Sheryl's next round of her course, "Trust Yourself," starting on May 17th
• The Healing Anxiety Workbook
• April’s Gathering Gold bonus episode for the Patreon: Emotional Support for Spring Cleaning
• Marie Kondo
• Happenstance Theory of career development
• Past Lives (2023)
• The Serenity Prayer

Join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/gatheringgold

What Could Have Been

In today's follow-up to the Escape Hatch Fantasies episode, Sheryl and Victoria discuss the double-edged allure of ruminating on what could be? and what could have been? 

They discuss the difference between a fantasy and a dream for the future, how to work with the energy of regret, and what we can learn from the film Past Lives (2023) about making space for longing, mystery, and acceptance in the face of our many life choices and experiences.

Escape Hatch Fantasies (Re-Air)

In preparation for our next episode, we bring to you one of our most popular episodes to date: Escape Hatch Fantasies.

Members of our Patreon can submit questions and reflections for our follow-up conversation about escape hatch fantasies at patreon.com/gatheringgold 

* * *

We all indulge in fantasizing from time to time. Maybe you find yourself scrolling through Zillow looking at houses for sale, even though most of the time you love where you live. Perhaps you have romantic dreams about your ex and wake wondering if it means you should run off into the sunset with them—even though you know you don't really want that in reality.

Our imaginations and dreams are beautiful things, and yet sometimes, we find ourselves fixating on a certain escape hatch that we wish could magically deliver us to a version of life without pain, boredom, or anxiety. Certain fantasies might get sticky, causing us distress or interfering with our real lives. So what do we do with persistent escape hatch fantasies that we can’t or don’t really want to act out? 

That’s the topic of today’s episode. We’ll be unpacking two fantasies in particular (living alone in the woods and moving to a faraway city) to ask what longings might lie underneath them, and how we can attend to those longings while respecting our values and choices we’ve made for our lives. 

References:

• Devotion, Patti Smith
• Carl Jung
• The Power of Ritual, Casper ter Kuile
• Ecstasy, Robert Johnson
• Inner Work, Robert Johnson
• Richard Rohr Unspoken podcast interview