Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 18:19 — 10.9MB) | Embed
Welcome to Stuff I Learned Yesterday. My name is Darrell Darnell, I am looking forward to covering the Stranger Things spinoff, “Tales from ’85” next month with my daughter, and I believe that if you aren’t learning, you aren’t living.
This quarter we have three mailbag contributions: Ryan, Upside Down, and Jason. Here they are:
Here’s Ryan’s contribution:
Hello! 🙂 My name is Ryan and this message is for Darrell. I found your ST podcast by searching for ST podcasts and have listened to about half of your finale episode. I was picking up clues and found myself googling “Darrell Darnell podcaster faith” and found your SILY testimony episode. I read that. Then, I found your tough Bible passages/West Wing YouTube video and listened to most of that.
First, I want to encourage you to keep sharing. Add me to the list of folks telling you to say more, more often!
That said, I respect how you are working to be light within a community that doesn’t always love light shining in it and admire what I’ve heard you doing thus far.
Second, I’d love to talk with you, whether via email or over the phone. I’d love to learn more about your faith and how you apply it in your professional and personal life. I’m a Christian myself and have a house full of aspiring storytellers and ST fans. Walking through the development of that show and its character arcs was challenging and, hopefully, a catalyst for growth in the compassionate application of truth.
Third, I’ve kicked around podcasting before and listening to you and Addi inspired me to explore it further.
I’m sure there is more, but this will suffice for a comment form. PS, I’m really only nerd adjacent. I heard Addi call you a nerd as you made a Zelda reference and I realized I couldn’t nerd as well as you likely nerd. For example, I’ve never conquered a Zelda, but have played most all of them.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Here’s Upside Down’s contribution:
Bro. This is good
(From a TSTP fan)
Here’s Jason’s contribution:
Hi Darrell, this is Jason in San Jose with my Monday Mailbag contribution. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been able to send in feedback for any of the GSM podcasts that I listen to regularly. I have been super busy with many different things in my life, which is the focus of my recording here today, feeling overwhelmed and finding a solution. But let’s rewind a little bit.
I was really hoping to contribute to the Monday Mailbag in December, as well as the Stranger Things podcast, but I had many things keeping me busy. I’ve mentioned on many SILY feedback episodes that I created a podcast for my 12-step recovery group that was partially inspired by this podcast. I thought I would update a bit on that here as it ties into me being busy. Last January marked five years of doing the podcast and just over 180 episodes. I’m so humbled by the feedback that I get from people all around the world. Some people listen to the podcast as a substitute for meetings that are not available in the country where they live. So amazing. It really brings me joy to help carry the message to other addicts.
In addition to the podcast, I also do service work at the local and international level, and I also help plan our retreat every March, which I will talk about shortly. So back to last fall at the ripe old age of 54, I had my hip replaced. My dad had his done a few months before me and my mom’s hip surgery was actually the day before mine, super crazy. So I took three months off of work where I was able to focus on physical therapy and rest. I was really hoping to be able to play my guitar and post guitar videos for Facebook and YouTube, but recovery from the surgery had me slow down and take it easy. I was so grateful for the time off, but I went back to work in December to a myriad of things that were not done in my absence.
Back to the rat race. January is when our retreat committee for my program starts to shift into gear, planning for a weekend, hosting meetings, workshops, and fun activities for more than 180 people. For many years, I have led workshops on either service or music and recovery. Last year at the retreat, I tried to do too much and felt very overwhelmed and unorganized. Although this year I chose not to lead a workshop, I still had plenty of other things to do. And this is where feeling overwhelmed and finding a solution come into play. Step 11 in our program is sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out. So when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I may be praying and meditating, but not asking for the power to carry out whatever it is that I need to do.
In February, as I was meditating, I was given an answer to step back. I remembered that recently my favorite band, Heilung, decided to take a year and a half off from touring. Although this saddened me in their hiatus, each band member has had time to work on other projects that have been lying dormant for years. So for me, I have taken over a month away from working on new podcast episodes and finally had time to finish the podcast website that has been on hold for the better part of the past five years. At work, I’m slowly but surely learning the lesson to delegate and not do the things that others can do simply because I’m impatient. This gives me the time to focus on projects that have been put on hold.
Every year at our retreat I help organize our talent show. And this year I stepped back a bit and let others take over and I was just there for support. As always I got the chance to play in the talent show. I usually play a Tool song and this year I played Tool’s cover of No Quarter by Led Zeppelin. So, so fun. And so this is what I’ve learned. When life gets overwhelming, remember to slow down and pray for the power for whatever it is you seek to accomplish. This has been Jason in San Jose. Namaste.
I’m Darrell Darnell, and this has been Stuff I Learned Yesterday.
I want you to be a part of the next Monday Mailbag on June 29th! Monday Mailbag is your opportunity to Share what YOU’VE learned, so that other listeners and I can learn from YOU. It can be a message as short as 30 seconds or several minutes long. It really doesn’t matter just as long as it’s something that will benefit others. You can send in questions or responses to my SILY episodes, and I’ll respond to them via Monday Mailbag episodes. You can participate in Monday Mailbags by visiting the Golden Spiral Media listener feedback page.