Episode
Expressing the Spirit of Springing and Sprouting
- Podcast
- A Pebble in the Cosmic Pond
- Published
- Apr 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4012
- Processing state
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Summary
Welcome to this first episode of our new Season Five on “Expressing the Spirit of Springing and Sprouting”! While we haven’t settled on a formal name for this season yet, we want to focus on renewal, play, joy, and paying attention, as a counterweight to the heaviness, suffering, and fiery chaos that is affecting so many of us these days, directly or indirectly! How can we uplift our spirits while also showing up to the best of our ability in these dark times? What is the appropriate place for joy in the midst of suffering, and how and where can we find it? What’s your own source of joy and wonder and magic? Where do you find pleasure, share love, provide comfort, create beauty, and elicit smiles in your circles of family and friends? For Leo and myself, food and connecting to nature are two easy places to start, so that is what we are focusing on in today’s conversation. In particular, we are playing with the Chinese theme for the spring season, namely “sprouting.” Leo shares some deeeelicious suggestions for northern and southern East Asian bean sprout dishes, while I am busy picking and chopping and processing my beloved nettles, to go into noodles, soups, pickles, and my daily evening tea. Beyond that, our conversation meanders casually to explore the need for personal calibration as each of us adapt the standard written advice in Chinese medicine and calendrical arts to our local environment and lifestyle. We compare notes on what spring rejuvenation looks like in different parts of the world, from east to west, north to south, and even high mountains to the sea. Ultimately, we want this conversation to inspire you to pay attention to the small sources of joy in your corner of the universe, whether it is the first wiggly earthworm of the season, delicious local sp…