[{"0":"13","id":"13","1":"test","name":"test","2":"test material goes here","transcript":"test material goes here","3":"..\/audio\/test.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/test.mp3","4":"2021-08-19","created":"2021-08-19"},{"0":"15","id":"15","1":"John Green's Essay on Play","name":"John Green's Essay on Play","2":"When my wife and I first moved to Indianapolis five years ago, we heard multiple times that Indianapolis was the largest American city not on a navigable waterway. This seems a strange thing to be proud of; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those extremely fine distinctions, like saying that Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in the NFL with a surname that is\nalso a noun, just as Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL whose surname is also a gerund.\n\nBut many people see this lack of non-navigable waterways as a symbol of Indianapolis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lack of physical beauty. Ours is a city of strip malls and parking lots; we have no mountains, no beaches. Our autumn is less spectacular than New England; our winters are too cold, our summers too hot. And yet, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to live anywhere else.\nAnd I used to wish for mountains and beaches, or really any kind of topography. But then my son was born. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s two now, and one of the many pleasures of having a two-year-old is that they are always playing. Well, or throwing a tantrum.\nHenry and I often visit the non-navigable waterways of Indianapolis. Walking down to the river in Holiday Park, Henry notices everything. While I fight the urge to look at my phone every ten seconds, Henry spends a full minute examining a red leaf barely clinging to a tree. He leans against each tree trunk we walk past, trying to determine which are small enough to shake with his weight. He stops walking every few steps to look for rolly-pollies.\n\nWhen we get down to the White River, he starts throwing rocks into the water. I show him how I can skip stones, which he finds boring, because skipped stones don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make as big of a splash. He heaves stone after stone into the water. After every splash, he says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That was a splash,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as if all the other ones weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t splashes. He can do this dozens of times without getting bored, and when I finally say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay, Henry, we need to walk back to the car now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One more, daddy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A big one.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He grabs a stone that takes both his hands to hold, walks to the edge of the water, and drops it in. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look at that splash,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.\n\nIn the winter, we will bundle up and come back to watch the rocks crash through thin ice. In the summer, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be here in shirt sleeves, sweating, scaring the turtles away with the splashes. So, okay. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any navigable waterways, or beaches, or mountains. But you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need them to play any more than you need fancy toys. You only need the ability to pay careful and sustained attention to the abundant beauty that is always\u00e2\u20ac\u201calways\u00e2\u20ac\u201cin our midst.\n","transcript":"When my wife and I first moved to Indianapolis five years ago, we heard multiple times that Indianapolis was the largest American city not on a navigable waterway. This seems a strange thing to be proud of; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those extremely fine distinctions, like saying that Andrew Luck is the best quarterback in the NFL with a surname that is\nalso a noun, just as Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL whose surname is also a gerund.\n\nBut many people see this lack of non-navigable waterways as a symbol of Indianapolis\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lack of physical beauty. Ours is a city of strip malls and parking lots; we have no mountains, no beaches. Our autumn is less spectacular than New England; our winters are too cold, our summers too hot. And yet, I wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to live anywhere else.\nAnd I used to wish for mountains and beaches, or really any kind of topography. But then my son was born. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s two now, and one of the many pleasures of having a two-year-old is that they are always playing. Well, or throwing a tantrum.\nHenry and I often visit the non-navigable waterways of Indianapolis. Walking down to the river in Holiday Park, Henry notices everything. While I fight the urge to look at my phone every ten seconds, Henry spends a full minute examining a red leaf barely clinging to a tree. He leans against each tree trunk we walk past, trying to determine which are small enough to shake with his weight. He stops walking every few steps to look for rolly-pollies.\n\nWhen we get down to the White River, he starts throwing rocks into the water. I show him how I can skip stones, which he finds boring, because skipped stones don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make as big of a splash. He heaves stone after stone into the water. After every splash, he says, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That was a splash,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d as if all the other ones weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t splashes. He can do this dozens of times without getting bored, and when I finally say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Okay, Henry, we need to walk back to the car now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153One more, daddy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A big one.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d He grabs a stone that takes both his hands to hold, walks to the edge of the water, and drops it in. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Look at that splash,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he says.\n\nIn the winter, we will bundle up and come back to watch the rocks crash through thin ice. In the summer, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be here in shirt sleeves, sweating, scaring the turtles away with the splashes. So, okay. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any navigable waterways, or beaches, or mountains. But you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need them to play any more than you need fancy toys. You only need the ability to pay careful and sustained attention to the abundant beauty that is always\u00e2\u20ac\u201calways\u00e2\u20ac\u201cin our midst.\n","3":"..\/audio\/john_green_s_essay_on_play.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/john_green_s_essay_on_play.mp3","4":"2021-09-02","created":"2021-09-02"},{"0":"16","id":"16","1":"What Role does Luck Play?","name":"What Role does Luck Play?","2":"I have always felt very, very lucky in life. When I was a young child, I went to an elementary school that had an even mix of children of privilege, like myself, and children who were living in poverty. Several of my friends lived in a poor, more rural part of the county, and it was always obvious to me how different, and in so many ways much more difficult, their lives were from mine. I remember being troubled by how unfair it seemed. They had done nothing to deserve being born into a more difficult life. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some things in life you just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t explain,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I remember my mother telling me.\n So many things in life you CAN explain, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true that there are just as many that are inexplicable. It seems that those inexplicable things can be chalked up to luck, or a lack thereof. Being born a child of my wonderful parents? Absolutely luck. My wonderful father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horrible end-of life illness? Just plain, terrible luck. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure using luck as an explanation makes the hard things easier to endure. Similarly, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure calling yourself lucky takes any of the joy away from the great blessings we seemingly did not earn. But perhaps letting go of trying to find meaning in every little thing that comes our way, good or bad, can be liberating. I hear in my mind again and again the words of a prayer I learned as a child: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \n","transcript":"I have always felt very, very lucky in life. When I was a young child, I went to an elementary school that had an even mix of children of privilege, like myself, and children who were living in poverty. Several of my friends lived in a poor, more rural part of the county, and it was always obvious to me how different, and in so many ways much more difficult, their lives were from mine. I remember being troubled by how unfair it seemed. They had done nothing to deserve being born into a more difficult life. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Some things in life you just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t explain,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I remember my mother telling me.\n So many things in life you CAN explain, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true that there are just as many that are inexplicable. It seems that those inexplicable things can be chalked up to luck, or a lack thereof. Being born a child of my wonderful parents? Absolutely luck. My wonderful father\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s horrible end-of life illness? Just plain, terrible luck. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure using luck as an explanation makes the hard things easier to endure. Similarly, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not sure calling yourself lucky takes any of the joy away from the great blessings we seemingly did not earn. But perhaps letting go of trying to find meaning in every little thing that comes our way, good or bad, can be liberating. I hear in my mind again and again the words of a prayer I learned as a child: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \n","3":"..\/audio\/what_role_does_luck_play_.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/what_role_does_luck_play_.mp3","4":"2021-09-16","created":"2021-09-16"},{"0":"17","id":"17","1":"Rocky Balboa inspirational speech","name":"Rocky Balboa inspirational speech","2":"You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. I'd hold you up and say to your mother, \"This kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody ever knew.\" And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching. Every day was like a privilege. And the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world and you did! But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame. Like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place. And I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now if you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth. But you got to be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you want to be because of him, or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that.","transcript":"You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. I'd hold you up and say to your mother, \"This kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody ever knew.\" And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching. Every day was like a privilege. And the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world and you did! But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame. Like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place. And I don't care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done. Now if you know what you're worth, go out and get what you're worth. But you got to be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you want to be because of him, or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain't you. You're better than that.","3":"..\/audio\/rocky_balboa_inspirational_speech.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/rocky_balboa_inspirational_speech.mp3","4":"2021-10-25","created":"2021-10-25"},{"0":"18","id":"18","1":"Mysterious Ancient City","name":"Mysterious Ancient City","2":"As the excavations at Sanxingdui progress, more revelations surely await. The new pits have already produced several startling finds, including an enormous bronze mask over a meter wide \u00e2\u20ac\u201d one of the largest artifacts of its kind ever uncovered.\nBut archaeologists are holding their breath for one discovery above all: any sign of a Sanxingdui writing system.\nThe lack of written materials inside the sacrificial pits has surprised researchers. Given Sanxingdui\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apparent sophistication and trade with other Chinese kingdoms, the fact that not a single written character has been found is remarkable.\nRan Honglin, a site manager at the current excavations in Sanxingdui, is convinced the ancient city kept some kind of written records, but speculates they may not have survived. While members of contemporary civilizations like the Shang \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a kingdom based in central China \u00e2\u20ac\u201d carved characters onto oracle bones, the people of Sanxingdui may have used a less durable material.\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Running such a huge site, with such a wealth of artifacts, would have required sophisticated social organization,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Ran. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153To make this system function smoothly, there must have been good communication systems, which is difficult to achieve without writing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\nThere are signs the people of Sanxingdui were smarter than many realize, Ran adds. They appear to have had a keen interest in math, and an obsession with the number three in particular. Artifacts in the sacrificial pits were divided into three layers. The enormous bronze statue of a tree uncovered in Pit 2 has three levels, each containing three branches, with a total of nine sacred birds sitting among them. The number of many other kinds of artifacts found inside the pits have been multiples of three.\n","transcript":"As the excavations at Sanxingdui progress, more revelations surely await. The new pits have already produced several startling finds, including an enormous bronze mask over a meter wide \u00e2\u20ac\u201d one of the largest artifacts of its kind ever uncovered.\nBut archaeologists are holding their breath for one discovery above all: any sign of a Sanxingdui writing system.\nThe lack of written materials inside the sacrificial pits has surprised researchers. Given Sanxingdui\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apparent sophistication and trade with other Chinese kingdoms, the fact that not a single written character has been found is remarkable.\nRan Honglin, a site manager at the current excavations in Sanxingdui, is convinced the ancient city kept some kind of written records, but speculates they may not have survived. While members of contemporary civilizations like the Shang \u00e2\u20ac\u201d a kingdom based in central China \u00e2\u20ac\u201d carved characters onto oracle bones, the people of Sanxingdui may have used a less durable material.\n\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Running such a huge site, with such a wealth of artifacts, would have required sophisticated social organization,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Ran. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153To make this system function smoothly, there must have been good communication systems, which is difficult to achieve without writing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\nThere are signs the people of Sanxingdui were smarter than many realize, Ran adds. They appear to have had a keen interest in math, and an obsession with the number three in particular. Artifacts in the sacrificial pits were divided into three layers. The enormous bronze statue of a tree uncovered in Pit 2 has three levels, each containing three branches, with a total of nine sacred birds sitting among them. The number of many other kinds of artifacts found inside the pits have been multiples of three.\n","3":"..\/audio\/mysterious_ancient_city.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/mysterious_ancient_city.mp3","4":"2022-03-21","created":"2022-03-21"},{"0":"19","id":"19","1":"Master Procrastinator Reflection","name":"Master Procrastinator Reflection","2":"I am most definitely not a master procrastinator. When there is work to be done, there is very little in this world that I am able to enjoy more than the feeling of simply checking the work off my to-do list. I simply cannot relax and enjoy life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s little pleasures while I have duties hanging over my head.\r\n\r\nWhen I was in college, a very good friend of mine was an archetypical master procrastinator. She had absolutely no problem whatsoever enjoying herself and everyone around her, and putting every assignment and task far out of her mind. I knew she was building up to a profoundly long night at the end of every term. Sure enough, much like Tim Urban, at the end of every term, my friend would spend two or three days and nights working furiously in the library with no sleep, only to turn in all of her work at the absolute last minute. \r\n\r\nI could never understand how that system was tolerable for her. While I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think she particularly enjoyed being that way, I do not think she had ever lived her life any differently. Watching Tim Urban\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s TED Talk evoked the same anxiety that I got watching my own friend in college. Just like during my college days, watching Tim Urban made me grateful that the panic monster inside my brain tends to show up rather quickly. The instant gratification monkey inside my head doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get very much play time, and I am so happy.\r\n","transcript":"I am most definitely not a master procrastinator. When there is work to be done, there is very little in this world that I am able to enjoy more than the feeling of simply checking the work off my to-do list. I simply cannot relax and enjoy life\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s little pleasures while I have duties hanging over my head.\r\n\r\nWhen I was in college, a very good friend of mine was an archetypical master procrastinator. She had absolutely no problem whatsoever enjoying herself and everyone around her, and putting every assignment and task far out of her mind. I knew she was building up to a profoundly long night at the end of every term. Sure enough, much like Tim Urban, at the end of every term, my friend would spend two or three days and nights working furiously in the library with no sleep, only to turn in all of her work at the absolute last minute. \r\n\r\nI could never understand how that system was tolerable for her. While I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think she particularly enjoyed being that way, I do not think she had ever lived her life any differently. Watching Tim Urban\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s TED Talk evoked the same anxiety that I got watching my own friend in college. Just like during my college days, watching Tim Urban made me grateful that the panic monster inside my brain tends to show up rather quickly. The instant gratification monkey inside my head doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get very much play time, and I am so happy.\r\n","3":"..\/audio\/master_procrastinator_reflection.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/master_procrastinator_reflection.mp3","4":"2022-04-22","created":"2022-04-22"},{"0":"20","id":"20","1":"The Tim Ferriss Show: Derek Sivers Interview","name":"The Tim Ferriss Show: Derek Sivers Interview","2":"...that most suffering comes from a focus on me, on the self.\r\n Yes!\r\nAnd, as soon as you \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I received a piece of advice, maybe five\r\nyears ago, from someone, they said, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re having trouble\r\nmaking yourself happy, just make someone else happy.\r\nYeah.\r\nAnd, it sounds so clich\u00c3\u00a9d, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually really pragmatic, and it\r\nmakes me think of this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c something simple that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing,\r\nthat Gabrielle Reese, Gabi Reese, who was on this podcast with\r\nLaird Hamilton, both very famous athletes, and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re married.\r\nShe said, go first. And all she meant by that was, during your day,\r\nbe first. Be the first to look at someone and smile, be the first to\r\nlook, when you walk up to the barista, ask them how they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing.\r\nBe the first to initiate that, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a simple way to put a smile\r\non people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s faces. Not always, but a good portion of the time, and\r\nthat can change your own state.","transcript":"...that most suffering comes from a focus on me, on the self.\r\n Yes!\r\nAnd, as soon as you \u00e2\u20ac\u201c I received a piece of advice, maybe five\r\nyears ago, from someone, they said, if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re having trouble\r\nmaking yourself happy, just make someone else happy.\r\nYeah.\r\nAnd, it sounds so clich\u00c3\u00a9d, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually really pragmatic, and it\r\nmakes me think of this \u00e2\u20ac\u201c something simple that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been doing,\r\nthat Gabrielle Reese, Gabi Reese, who was on this podcast with\r\nLaird Hamilton, both very famous athletes, and they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re married.\r\nShe said, go first. And all she meant by that was, during your day,\r\nbe first. Be the first to look at someone and smile, be the first to\r\nlook, when you walk up to the barista, ask them how they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re doing.\r\nBe the first to initiate that, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a simple way to put a smile\r\non people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s faces. Not always, but a good portion of the time, and\r\nthat can change your own state.","3":"..\/audio\/the_tim_ferriss_show__derek_sivers_interview.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/the_tim_ferriss_show__derek_sivers_interview.mp3","4":"2022-04-25","created":"2022-04-25"},{"0":"21","id":"21","1":"Death of a Neighbor by Karen Anderson","name":"Death of a Neighbor by Karen Anderson","2":"I am scanning the obituaries in the local paper when I see the name of a neighbor, someone who lived not far from me. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know she was ill, and I feel strangely empty and sad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t friends, really, but I knew her name and a little about her work and family. This is a small town, and if you live here long enough, you run into a lot of people. She and I said hello occasionally at the grocery store or library.\r\n\r\nBut while I gaze at her picture and read her obituary, I recall that I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like her. Which meant I would acknowledge her when we met but didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop to talk. Didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make an effort to get better acquainted.\r\n\r\nAnd when I try to remember why I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like her, I cannot think of a single reason. Whatever triggered my irritation was so insignificant, it has vanished. While the irritation remained. Now my sorrow about her death expands to include my own smallness, my petty grievances. I am ashamed to admit how these unexamined opinions linger\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand limit my life.\r\n\r\nSometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too late to make amends. I close the newspaper and sip my cold coffee. She was my neighbor and I never thought much about her until now. I can remember her jogging slowly down the street, her face flushed. A pretty woman.","transcript":"I am scanning the obituaries in the local paper when I see the name of a neighbor, someone who lived not far from me. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know she was ill, and I feel strangely empty and sad.\r\n\r\nWe weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t friends, really, but I knew her name and a little about her work and family. This is a small town, and if you live here long enough, you run into a lot of people. She and I said hello occasionally at the grocery store or library.\r\n\r\nBut while I gaze at her picture and read her obituary, I recall that I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like her. Which meant I would acknowledge her when we met but didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t stop to talk. Didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t make an effort to get better acquainted.\r\n\r\nAnd when I try to remember why I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like her, I cannot think of a single reason. Whatever triggered my irritation was so insignificant, it has vanished. While the irritation remained. Now my sorrow about her death expands to include my own smallness, my petty grievances. I am ashamed to admit how these unexamined opinions linger\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand limit my life.\r\n\r\nSometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too late to make amends. I close the newspaper and sip my cold coffee. She was my neighbor and I never thought much about her until now. I can remember her jogging slowly down the street, her face flushed. A pretty woman.","3":"..\/audio\/death_of_a_neighbor_by_karen_anderson.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/death_of_a_neighbor_by_karen_anderson.mp3","4":"2023-01-09","created":"2023-01-09"},{"0":"22","id":"22","1":"Lilacs in Bloom by Karen Anderson","name":"Lilacs in Bloom by Karen Anderson","2":"When I see lilacs in bloom, I have to stop. Sometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the country where enormous old bushes grow beside abandoned barns. Sometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in my neighborhood alleys where they grow beside garages that used to be horse stables.\r\n\r\nThese orphan bushes that nobody waters or prunes are lavish with their gifts. And I stop what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing to admire the rich colors\u00e2\u20ac\u201ddark purple, pale violet, purest white. I lean into the moist clusters and inhale that honey lavender smell.\r\n\r\nNow, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true you can buy lilac bushes at a nursery and plant them in your back yard. I have done this myself and confess the results are disappointing. The branches spindly, the blossoms spare.\r\n\r\nLilacs, it seems, resist cultivation and do better in forgotten places with full sun and freedom. I admire this. They speak to me of something in myself that yearns to grow wild at the edges, to flourish untended and pour out my glory for one brief moment. Maybe someone will stop, maybe not.\r\n\r\nIf you pick lilacs, they will wilt in an hour. Better to lean into the living blossoms and bury your face in fragrance.","transcript":"When I see lilacs in bloom, I have to stop. Sometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in the country where enormous old bushes grow beside abandoned barns. Sometimes it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s in my neighborhood alleys where they grow beside garages that used to be horse stables.\r\n\r\nThese orphan bushes that nobody waters or prunes are lavish with their gifts. And I stop what I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing to admire the rich colors\u00e2\u20ac\u201ddark purple, pale violet, purest white. I lean into the moist clusters and inhale that honey lavender smell.\r\n\r\nNow, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s true you can buy lilac bushes at a nursery and plant them in your back yard. I have done this myself and confess the results are disappointing. The branches spindly, the blossoms spare.\r\n\r\nLilacs, it seems, resist cultivation and do better in forgotten places with full sun and freedom. I admire this. They speak to me of something in myself that yearns to grow wild at the edges, to flourish untended and pour out my glory for one brief moment. Maybe someone will stop, maybe not.\r\n\r\nIf you pick lilacs, they will wilt in an hour. Better to lean into the living blossoms and bury your face in fragrance.","3":"..\/audio\/lilacs_in_bloom_by_karen_anderson.mp3","media":"..\/audio\/lilacs_in_bloom_by_karen_anderson.mp3","4":"2023-01-09","created":"2023-01-09"}]