Episodes
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You were never a wretch.
I think steadily saying something of value can drain a person. Unfortunately, the algorithm demands routine posting and the pressure that comes with it. I’ve learned that pouring from an empty cup can do violence to our souls. So I’ve been away for a bit. The late Blaze Foley sang a song called...
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My most controversial take
I’m going to offer my most controversial take in the three years of doing this Substack: We have to schedule noticing joy and put it on the calendar. I don’t mean create joy, it’s there, I mean merely notice it. In our over-scheduled lives, usually only two things happen: Things we schedule and...
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What no one warned me about when moving to southern California
When my wife and I told our friends we were moving to Southern California, the list of things I should be concerned about was long. I should worry about wildfires, earthquakes, the homeless crisis, the liberal direction of government, and the immigration crisis. We just passed the one-year mark...
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The God who watches sparrows
The fact that the bible says God watches the sparrows should surprise me more than it does. Folks who call themselves birders often don’t care much about sparrows. When someone sees me carrying my camera, the first assumption is that I’m bird watching. (Second, that I’m paparazzi lol) I will…
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Shared reverence
I started riding a bike for my commute. Please don’t be impressed. It’s a pedal-assist cargo e-bike, so I’m not exerting myself too much. It’s a grocery getter, short-haul carrier bike that might be the most middle-aged purchase I’ve ever made. But the wind in my face, safely navigating around my...
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Before our work, our unassailable worth
We work to make a living—bills to pay, you know? But as we spend the bulk of our time working, something happens. Our sense of self and worth begins to be fueled by our work. We no longer work to support ourselves but to make sense of our place in the world. This can also affect our recreation…
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Three things on the shore
On a recent windy day, I was at the coast, and as I walked along the surf, I was reminded of the phrase “the sea has no memory.” Unlike humans, the phrase means that the ocean does not retain past experiences or hold onto memories; it constantly changes and is not affected by past events,...
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Overjoyed even in the winds of fear.
Lately, we’ve been through it. There’s been a lot to think about and process. There seems to be a steady stream of things to concern our minds. Even if you’re among those who say they don’t watch the news, it’s hard not to pick up the static of panic in the environment by simply moving through…
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The power of noticing our breath.
What lets you know you’re breathing? As you’re reading this, take a slightly deeper breath. Where do you feel the earliest sensations of your inhale? Get detailed and granular with the data. Sometimes, it takes some time to find the start. At first, it may be easier to find your inhalation's...
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Our migration and roosting
A continuous stream of crows flows south across the sky in the intense yellows and oranges of the sun’s fading daylight each dusk. For thirty minutes, intermittent waves of one of San Diego County’s largest crow flock head to what I’m told is a nightly roost at Lake Hodges. Fascinated by the...
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Car vending machines vs. Make-shift tables
Robert covers some miles on his bike. He has 21 bikes in all and rotates in and out of the fleet daily in his travels outside and around Escondido, California. For some reason, his sleek bikes seem European to me and have narrow tires about as wide as a piece of rigatoni. He often uses a bike...
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Visible but not accessible
Often, artists are not in control of what their art reveals about themselves. At times, artists can make statements they didn’t intend to make. It’s humbling to make public what happens privately in our minds. Left on the page, the canvas, or in music, what was once in our control no longer only...
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The somewhat tragic mockingbird
We moved. It was a move that took us from central Pennsylvania to San Diego County, California. At the time, I thought I’d be here on Formerly Feral sharing poetic observations. I’d be trying to weave spiritual insights through the sweeping experience of a cross-country move. But here’s the…
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Worth allows for questions
A strong sense of your inherent worth will welcome questions. When we’re centered in our worth and are asked questions, it won’t be a threat, and when we ask them, the hint of not knowing something won’t chip away at our sense of self. The converse is true, too; if our sense of worth is low or...
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How's your audition going?
How’s your audition going? Didn’t know you were auditioning? We often are these days. Let me pick on social media that great punching bag that we both hate and are simultaneously tethered to. I should warn you that the following thoughts are not unique to social media. So, if you’re not on or are...
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The best part of waking up
An old Folgers coffee ad includes a jingle: “The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup.” The practices around waking up have been on my mind lately, and this little earworm roars to life when I think of waking up’s best parts. Birdsong is big for me. In its absence, something deep in my...
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Listening to rodeo clowns.
We all have a friend like this. They are the center of the conversational universe. Even if they are listening, it’s from a crouched position, waiting to pounce into the conversation to make it about them. They upstage, dismiss, and hold court as all topics obit their preferences. They have a…
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Low self-worth it's not what you think
What does low self-worth look like? A shy, backward, self-doubting, feckless, and underachieving mess of a person? The traits we assume a person who lacks self-worth can be cartoonishly simple. And to be fair, these can be correct. But I want to warn you that there are some perfect disguises at…
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Firing your coach
Mike Vrabel was fired from his head coaching job with the Tennessee Titans. Apparently, in the sports world, this was unexpected. A headline filled my feeds for a news cycle or two. Seen as one of the best present coaches, Vrabel’s ouster was criticized by many. It’s how it goes; in fact, six...
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Life BEFORE death
Jon Kabat-Zinn, the creator of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction, was interviewed by Oprah and was unexpectedly asked, “Jon, what do you think about life after death?”. Jon replied, “Oprah, I have virtually no interest in the question of life after death; I’m interested in the question of…
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Breathing inside the box.
Five years ago, I walked onto the Appalachian Trail (AT) for the first time. The AT is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath from Georgia to Maine. I planned to travel 30 miles in the Michaux State Forest in Pennsylvania. I would spend four days on the trail, camping in the backwoods. I had done...
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Are you a mis-diagnosed introvert?
What if you’re not actually an introvert? In this post, I will suggest your self-diagnosis may be a bit off. Suppose you cling to the giant and often hilarious introversion community with a thriving online meme industrial complex. You may be unwilling to shed the introversion label but hear me…
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Feel all your Sally feelings
We are over the pumpkin-sized hump of Halloween and into the season of thanks we go. We are between two worlds. Perhaps more than we realize. In our era in America, Halloween is an incredible celebration of fantasy that’s escalated in every imagined direction, from twelve-foot plastic skeletons…
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Horror films and the unfamiliar
*contains spoilers about The Birds I went to two movies in two weeks. That’s some kind of recent record. The first was a 60th anniversary showing of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. The film holds up if one can put aside the crude special effects that are silly by today’s standards. I mean, it still...
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Quick tips for the darker days
What more could she say? That was my reaction to Katherine May’s recent post entitled How to light the dark months: A Manifesto for winter light. May was the breakout author of 2020’s Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. She helped recast my vision and expectations of...
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Can you not be good and still ok?
Sir Ken Robinson is a British writer; he would go into nursery schools and ask the children, “Who in here is an artist?”. At the age of four or so, every hand goes up. He’d go to rooms of 3rd or 4th graders and ask, “Who in here is an artist,” nearly no hands went up. Why? Robinson thinks that…
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Again with the delight?
Ross is on the delights again (eye roll). A few years ago, poet Ross Gay did a break-out book called Book of Delights. Feral Souls will remember me going on about it here. It was nifty. The premise was an essay a day for a year on a delight he noticed. It was simple and refreshing, and for the…
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Dress for the JOY you want
Next time you’re in Walmart’s parking lot (for me, likely later today), look out over the vehicles parked there. There are about three colors: gray, black, and white. Don’t focus on the few exceptions (red or maroon make an appearance); see that most cars today are a slightly different shade of...
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End of summer clearance
This is an end-of-summer clearance sale. When we’re coming out of seasons into new ones, it’s good to survey what we’ve learned, gained, or lost as we move on. So this will be part collection, part list, and all annoying for someone who might be here for a concise, single-topic entry into our...
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The Open-Air Life
It’s no surprise that this particular Substack is about changing your experience with life. And maybe Nordic novelty will be the thing that leads you to a different experience with life. I’m hoping so with this post. A few years ago, Linda Akeson McGurk wrote a trendy book about rearing children...
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Un-choosing loneliness
The ‘ew, people’ attitude has had its day hasn’t it? The internet’s meme factories endlessly churn out snark that seems to say real, deeply enjoyable life happens under a comforter in front of Netflix while your Doordash delivered food is sat at your door without speaking to another person. Even...
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Joyfully warm toes
What’s one simple pleasure that you never get tired of? I lofted this question to friends at dinner a few days ago. The yearbook answers come first: Spending time with my family. My kids laughing. Great replies, no question, but our conversation opened the door to a more interesting truth as…
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Hey I found the problem!
I met a man named Paul who owns an impossibly adorable little British car called a Riley Elf. His was built in 1964, and he had it shipped from England to his home near Pittsburgh a few years ago. Seeing one of the less than ten Rileys in the US was a special moment for me, and it was fun to...
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Do you hear that?
Our youngest son (24), Isaac, and I went to a park near his home for a photography walk. He’s an analog guy, getting great evocative pictures with loads of nuance and feeling. I only want birds with my digital. As we exited his car, I heard a cacophony of bluejays behind a wall of large trees...
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The joys and perils of feeling
Our feet have over 7,000 nerve endings in each foot. They are highly sensitive radars informing our minds of endless experiences every second. I sometimes take my daily walk in minimal sandals, and over my routine mile-and-a-half trek, I may have one modest jolt of an unpleasant feeling, a rock…
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Can you still skip? And why it matters.
If you want a laugh or two, google “skip challenge.” The search will show adults trying to remember how to skip. Grown humans are lunging forward like some defective robot that’s misfiring. It’s hilarious, and they’re laughing, making their attempts harder. Some look so bizarre that I wonder if…
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Climbing Everest in Crocs
God is love; his people are called to share that love and be known for it. When they don’t, as leaders, our move may be to guilt, shame, or challenge them, but what if the issue runs deeper than what those actions lead to? Shame is demotivating, so it’s hardly the right tool to lead people into…
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Fell swoops and grand slams
We like a fell swoop. Something done in one fell swoop. It means doing something with a single, quick action or effort. It’s tidy, and to our overburdened, overscheduled minds, it’s insanely attractive. Who doesn’t love a home run? A slam dunk? That thing where one action completes everything. In...
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Take it easy, but take it
As we near the first full year of Feral Soul (next week’s post will be our shared birthday!), we pause for some help to meet ourselves in change. The change of living our worth isn’t easy — so bring some ease to it. (psst, it’s unlikely anyone else will) Who knows how social media algorithms get…
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Portable worth
Our worth rests in us, not the present version of us. Get this wrong, and we can stall or, even worse, live far beneath our potential. We get attached to who we are right now. Emotional attachment to who we are now isn’t something to negatively judge ourselves or others for; it’s something that…
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So, what do you do?
We are led to find our purpose in what we do. Meet someone, and the exchange of this detail will most likely happen within a minute. Even if the word ‘retired’ is wedged in the description, the room feels arranged once everyone has said what they do or what they did. A palpable calmness and…
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Yes, And. (a free ten minute guided meditation)
Hey, there fellow peacocks! Today’s extra info is content, but sending it is a message too. You can be extra. If that’s all you get from this, cool. Other details follow, but you are unfolding, and as you spill over the boundaries you or others have set for you, own the new space! (see peacock...
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This is not an owl story
a barred owl peeking to see me in the woods behind our house this past fall. 2022 Catching ourselves in the slow-moving habits of winter can bring more than a few incriminating voices to our minds. “I should’ve done more,” “I wanted to get that done,” and “my closet would horrify Marie Kondo.”...
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5 sure-fire daily things to get the ten results everyone wants.
A listicle of daily good wolf food! Get full access to Formerly Feral at feralsoul.substack.com/subscribe
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From idea to practice
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Are you on your list?
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Moving forward by backing up
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Gripped by clouds
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The sparrow-ness of us all
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Graduating? Worth in your new wilderness
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About this show
Living our worth
feralsoul.substack.com
Hosted by
Louis Osborn
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