The Ripples Pondcast

This is the audio recording of our monthly Zoomy Zoom with the Team Ripples Patreon Community. Weshared several stories & ideas from my summer adventures. The notes and links from the session are pasted below. You can also watch the video replay here.PEBBLEPixar's Inside Out 2 adds anxiety, embarrassment, ennui, envy, and a hint of nostalgia to the original team of emotions we got to know in the first movie: joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust. Trailer here.BOULDER3 sounds to stimulate the vagus nervehttps://www.facebook.com/reel/10040317214156761. hmmmmmm2. ohm/aum3. haPONDERA. The Sonder of Musings…I originally came across the word "sonder" in the mesmorizing 10 minute video called SOULFULLY BEAUTIFUL from Reflections of LIfe (who I first learned about from Grateful Living: https://grateful.org). I then learned the term SONDER, defined as "the profound feeling of realizing that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, has a life as complex as one's own, which they are constantly living despite one's personal lack of awareness of it. The word was coined by John Koenig, who compiled a compendium of created words in the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows and also created a short video just to unpack his special word Sonder.B. Dementia is not a Death (Psyche.co article)Dementia is not a death. For some, it marks a new beginningC. 10+ Happy SongsI originally stumbled upon a list of 10 songs that will make you happy based on research from a music psychologistin articles in Inc. and Science Times. I put the 10 songs in a Pandora Playlist:And then I stumbled upon this list on Spotify that also claimed to be "the 10 happiest songs" based on research.D. Finally, the artwork I picked up from an adorable shop in downtown Frisco, Colorado called Stay Sunny Frisco" It's all connected, you know.Your gifts, your circumstances, your journey.None of it is by chance.Embrace it.It's molding you."~Ash Weisel

This is the audio recording of our monthly Zoomy Zoom with the Team Ripples Patreon Community (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info). This month we followed up last month's "Why Can't We Get Along" talk on polarization with a deeper dive into some of the ideas and resources we touched on previously. The notes and links from the session are pasted below. If you'd prefer to watch the video replay you can watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/pl3jRVBuN-sPEBBLE: Similarity Index https://www.allsides.com/similarityBOULDER: Polarization Detox from Starts With Us: https://startswith.us/pdc/PONDERPodcast interview we mentioned:The Growing Edge Podcast episode #43: hosts Parker Palmer & Carrie Newcomer interview John Paul Lederach.https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-growing-edge/id1420185401?i=1000555807039During the intro, they read from an October 2020 Humanity United article, “How the United States Can Step Back from the Brink”https://humanityunited.org/perspectives/how-the-united-states-can-step-back-from-the-brink/Polarization Resources (from previous epsiode: https://bit.ly/DepolarizingResources

This episode is the audio track of a monthly Zoom call I have with members of the Team Ripples Patreon Community who support my work as a speaker, writer, and Rippler. We spent a full hour exploring how to THINK BETTER, FEEL BETTER, and DO BETTER when it comes to addressing the increasing toxic polarization that is heppening within our country, our communities, and ourselves.You can access the resource document here: https://bit.ly/DepolarizingResourcesYou can also find me @RipplesGuy on most socials, or visit https://TheRipplesGuy.comLearn more about the Team Ripples Patreon Community here: https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy

This is the audio recording of the February Zoom call with my Patreon Peeps (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info), exploring ideas about getting stuck, getting unstuck and making decisions when they are hard.PEBBLE: Tara Brach’s Podcast
Letting Go of Controlling – Part 1: The Path of Freedomhttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tara-brach/id265264862?i=1000643855201"Let go of what has happened in the past.Let go of what will happen in the future.Let go of what is happening right now." BOULDER: ASKING LOVE A QUESTION EACH MORNING "Love, what would YOU have me do today?" source: https://www.mindful.org/how-to-bookend-your-day-with-compassion/ PONDER: Fireside Chat 1. Leah’s article: Finger Trapshttps://welcomingway.com/blog/feeling-stuck? 2. Oliver Burkeman: Gnawing Rats vs. White Sheephttps://ckarchive.com/b/mvu7h5hg8784xbv5oo45wie7er0qq 3. James Clear’s Hats, Haircuts & Tattooshttps://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/february-1-2024 4. Uncle Paul's DWSR Technique (Decide, Write, Sleep, Review) D.=Decide: A few days before you absolutely have to decide, flip a coin to “decide.” W=Write out the “decision” on a piece of paper before you go to bed (example: “I’ve decided to accept the job offer”, or “I’ve decided to turn down the job offer.”). S=Sleep on it. R=Review in morning to see how it feels when you awake. If you don’t have a strong sense that it’s the RIGHT or WRONG decision, the next night do the opposite and see if that helps. Leap Day 2024: Embrace the Extra Day #LeapLaughLove Video Intro: https://youtu.be/ab_tS3Twta8 More Info: https://bit.ly/leaplaughlove

This is the audio recording of the January Zoom call with my Patreon Peeps (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info), where we talked about, the state of Ripples in the world and in our little corner of it. The notes and links from the session are pasted below. If you'd prefer to watch the video replay, you can catch that here: https://youtu.be/ikKSmyARHSsPEBBLE: Washington Post's: "The Optimist" Newsletter LAST WEEK:https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?trackId=5e6b43a6ae7e8a5948a05a35&s=65a3e905f188e64e9927d76f&linknum=2&linktot=38&linknum=2&linktot=38 today:https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?trackId=5e6b43a6ae7e8a5948a05a35&s=65a7dd703e0fca4d46020133&linknum=2&linktot=41&linknum=2&linktot=41 BOULDER: activity where you try to get people to smile back a certain number of times a day...but the goal isn't to MAKE them smile PONDER: The State of Ripples "We Got This" Sticker request: https://bit.ly/WeGotThisFREE Daily Splash website: https://DailySplash.me (message me if you want to receive these as texts!) Paul's "Four Squeegees" LovingKindness Meditation: May ____ be healthy. May ____ be safe. May ____ be wise. May ____ be at peace. What do we do? 1. Take an unflinching look. Make sure you’re seeing the world as it is, not how we wish is was. 2. Recognize that there is lots of both bad and good going on in the world. 3. When you’re struggling, focus more on the good so you can stay hopeful. 4. When you’re shining, focus enough on the bad stuff so you can identify opportunities to be part of the solution (or at least a smaller part of the problem). 5. Hang out with others who lift you up, and with those who can help you lift others up, too.

This is the audio recording of the November Zoom call with my Patreon Peeps (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info), where we explored some simple, practical actions and mindset to more easily access inner peace.Notes & Links below:PEBBLE We need a type of love that is a beautiful and hilarious series of high fives with the universe. -Rainn Wilson, in his book “SOUL BOOM: Why we need a spiritual revolution”https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Boom-Need-Spiritual-Revolution/dp/0306828278 BOULDER Take 10 deep breaths, and for each one say "Inhale Peace" as you inhale, and "Exhale Love" as you exhale PONDER "Peace is a state of mind that transcends external circumstances." -Skitter M. Ocharohttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cultivating-inner-peace-pathway-spiritual-tranquility-skitter/ Peace as the Purpose Paving the Way for Peace Practicing Peace Tips for managing HOLIDAY STRESS 1. Thermostat of Expectations 2. The Gift of Nostalgia 3. Enough Nog 4. Simple NO balls (SNO Balls) 5. Let it Go (lyrics below) If the mood out there is frightful While we wish it was delightful Since we've no way to control, LET IT GO LET IT GO LET IT GO. Sh*t doesn't show signs of stopping Tho our frustration shows signs of popping We need to turn it all down low, and Let it go, let it go, let it go. My 9 steps as I settle into morning meditation: Three deep breaths: come home, settle in, find center. Three more breaths: release expectation, invite wonder, welcome stillness. Three regular breaths: activate equanimity, access serenity, swim in tranquility. Daily Splash: https://www.dailysplash.me/

 This is the audio recording of the October Zoomy call with my Patreon Peeps (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info).Notes & links below; If you'd prefer to watch the video replay, you can catch that here: https://youtu.be/QxabxhbchhwPEBBLE Grateful Living https://Grateful.org In times of turmoil and danger, gratitude helps to steady and ground us. It brings us into presence, and our full presence is perhaps the best offering we can make to our world. ~Joanna Macy Also, this recent article from Grateful.org on how we unhelpfully set conditions on gratitude was fascinating to me:https://grateful.org/resource/fearless-dive-grateful-without-conditions/? BOULDER First Time ~ Last Time ~ Only Time
 cultivating gratitude by imagining this would be either the FIRST TIME or LAST TIME or ONLY TIME you’ll ever get to do this thing. PONDER RESOURCES The Healing Powers of Gratitudehttps://www.self.com/story/gratitude-benefits What Gets in the Way of Gratitude?https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/what_stops_gratitude How Gratitude Can Help You Through Hard Timeshttps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_can_help_you_through_hard_times Six Habits of Highly Grateful Peoplehttps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_habits_of_highly_grateful_people How Gratitude Changes You and Your Brainhttps://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain How to make gratitude a way of lifehttps://www.fastcompany.com/90436609/how-to-make-gratitude-a-way-of-life? 7 Easy and Non-Corny Ways to Start a Gratitude Practice https://www.self.com/story/gratitude-practice-tips GRATITUDE PROMPTS Who/what has made your life a little easier lately? Who/what has made life a little more fun lately?
 Who/what has helped you succeed in work/life lately?
 Who/what would you hate to lose right now? https://www.happierhuman.com/gratitude-journal-prompts/
https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/g40451936/daily-gratitude-journal-prompts/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/gratitude-journal-prompts

Befriending Procrastination: Moderinizing Your Mindset for Motivation This is the audio recording of the September Zoomy call with my Patreon Peeps (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info). The notes and links from the session are pasted below. If you'd prefer to watch the video replay, you can catch that here: https://youtu.be/9zqW2JJdA40PEBBLE Reminder Apps (& Just Record)https://www.oberlo.com/blog/reminder-appshttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/just-press-record/id1033342465https://riverside.fm/blog/best-recording-app-for-android BOULDER JAIA JAYA JATA Just As I Am Just As You Are Just as Things Are

This is the audio recording of our monthly Zoomy Zoom with my Patreon Peeps (https://www.patreon.com/RipplesGuy for more info). If you'd prefer to watch the video replay, you can catch that here: https://youtu.be/ui_1TtgRvXc The notes and links from the session are pasted below. PEBBLEApproach life advice not like immutable laws but rather like trying on clothes. Some advice will fit you well and flatter you. Other advice will not. Advice that may work great on one person may work terribly on the next. Pick and choose your advice to suit your personality and the occasion. Feel free to discard old advice any time it stops working for you.-Mark Manson (6/5/23: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough/025-how-to-know-what-works-for-you)BOULDER"Ideas & Snippets" document/folder. The idea is that you have a single document (I use Evernote, but you could use any note taking app or even a word processing app like MS Word, Apple Pages, Google Docs, etc.) to create a single repository of all the links, articles, podcasts, and even random ideas you come up with. And then schedule time on your calendar (once a week? month? quarter?) to review the list and ponder, move info to relevant place, send to others, etc.PONDER1. 7 Things You Need to Do If You Want to Enjoy Life More, by Lori Deschene (6/20/23)https://tinybuddha.com/blog/7-things-you-need-to-do-if-you-want-to-enjoy-life-more/ 2. five steps to RESILIENCE as summarized by Eric Barkerhttps://bakadesuyo.com/2023/04/how-to-be-resilient-2/?ref=refind 3. How to Be Miserable and Ruin Your Life (Mark Manson) (6/1/23)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPQa0Ag85SE 4. Adam Grant says, "Don't TRUST your gut, TEST your gut." (April 1, 2023) 5. 3/14/23: Arthur Brooks Two Choices That Keep a Midlife Crisis at Bay (choose to focus on what age gives you more than what it takes away, choose subtraction not addition) https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/05/midlife-crisis-choices-opportunities/638427/