The January Collection
Things that have been inspiring me.
January in Wisconsin is about a half a year long. It’s been a long, slow slog entering the year. Dark cold days, dripping skies, and the end of the Packers season. But we’ve made it to the end! And the reward? February… with an extra day this year, too.
But I’m actually really excited about this particular February—I’ve been anticipating this month for quite some time. Because on Tuesday, February 20, my book The Way Home: Discovering the Hero’s Journey to Wholeness at Midlife will drop into the world (pre-order today, and spread the word!). I can’t wait to get it into your hands!
I’ll have some more behind-the-scenes updates about the book and other things for ST:LL’s paying subscribers soon, but you all can get a sneak peak of an excerpt from the book at the bottom of this post. And in the meantime, read on below for the first edition of my monthly newsletter that highlights books, podcasts, articles, and other curiosities that have been inspiring me, or at the very least, have gotten me through January.
Outer Wilds
I don’t play video games much, but when I do… I go all in. A former colleague at On Being told me about Outer Wilds a few years ago, saying “It really has so much to say about life, belief, hope, faith, etc. It’s a shockingly, deeply spiritual game at its core.” So of course I was intrigued. I finally got around to playing it in December and January, and it did not disappoint.
In the game, you’re exploring a solar system in a spaceship. You’re trying to solve a mystery but there’s a catch—you’re stuck in a time loop. Which creates the most magical element of the game: the “world” you are exploring changes with time. If you visit a planet early in the time loop it will appear one way, but come back later and it’s different (e.g., the sands covering a planet retreat and reveal ancient buildings you can explore).
The way the game plays with TIME means that sometimes in order to see or find or learn things you just need to wait—roast a marshmallow by the fire, take a nap, or fly around space. There is a spiritual lesson in this. Because the real world is no different. There are patterns you can only see/learn when you wait. There are truths about yourself that will only emerge when you wait.
Anyways, it’s a super cool game. Added bonus: you don’t have to kill anyone or anything. It is not a violent game.
The Price You Pay
That last comment about no violence does not apply here… This book, the eighth and latest installment in Nick Petrie’s thrilling Peter Ash series, arrives on February 6, and I’ve already pre-ordered it. Peter Ash is a Jack Reacher/Jason Bourne-type character. He’s always chasing down a bad guy, trying to save someone, or trying to stop something from happening. A couple of the books take place in Milwaukee and one takes place in the Pacific Northwest, so that made them extra fun for me to read.
I spend a lot of time reading and writing about spiritual, philosophical, and psychological things. So it has been really delightful to immerse myself in an entirely different literary genre over the past few months. I’ve read all seven of Petrie’s books in this series, and can’t wait for the next one.
Also, Nick is my neighbor and he has been incredibly kind and helpful to me in my writing and publishing process, so I love hyping his work.
The Mindfulness Movement on PBS
I’m so glad I recently came across this new documentary:
The Mindfulness Movement, featuring Deepak Chopra and Jewel, is an inspiring and informative profile of the growing number of people of all ages and backgrounds who believe mindfulness is the key to making more moments matter in their lives and creating a healthier, happier world. The film also includes interviews with Dan Harris, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Sharon Salzberg, George Mumford and many more.
Very Ordinary Men: Elon Musk and the court biographer
Writer Sam Kriss’ insightful and incisive review of Walter Issacson’s #1 New York Times bestseller Elon Musk.
But behind every account of Elon Musk’s flaws, there’s a but. Yes, the man is an asshole, but he’s changing the world! He’s taking us to Mars! These are always the stakes, no matter what is happening in Musk’s life…
…but Elon Musk has not changed the world. He is not a great innovator. He is not a genius. He is not taking the human species anywhere in particular. He’s boring. Even his faults are boring! Musk is a very ordinary man. A con man; a fraudster. Worst of all, a government contractor.
To Make Your Soul Grow: The Power of Poetry (EXCERPT from The Way Home!)
Porchlight Books, a fabulous bulk bookseller that also happens to be based in Milwaukee, recently featured an excerpt from The Way Home as part of their ChangeThis series. The selection comes from chapter 4 of my book “Befriend the Dark” and here’s a brief synopsis: Creating poetry will cultivate curiosity, awe, and gratitude within you. All of which are sustenance for the dark night of the soul.
By the way, Porchlight is co-hosting my Milwaukee book launch event on Tuesday, February 20 at Boswell Book Company. Come on by if you’re in the area.
Also, if you are looking to order multiple copies, definitely PRE-ORDER FROM PORCHLIGHT and get some cool stuff like signed copies, a bonus excerpt, or audio summary.
So that’s it for January. I’ll send you some more more stuff I’m into later in February.
Also, I would love to hear from you. I’m still finding my groove with this newsletter, so I would love to know what you want more of or less of. What resonates? Shorter or longer posts? How’s the frequency? Let me know what you think.
And it would mean a lot if you spread the word about ST:LL, thank you!
-Ben