All Things Preserved
Just to take a step back and reflect… these conversations on our Wake Up Call podcast series are truly evergreen: everlasting in spirit and refreshingly genuine. Our team is grateful for these down to earth, thought-provoking exchanges with people from all walks of life. As this podcast has grown, it seems we’ve grown, together.
“This is about things that bring joy, things that hold meaning. It's the human connection that our guests talked about.”
Each month we assemble at a vibrant new venue, from resurgent neighborhood gathering places to modern glass icons glowing with future promise in a hard-fighting rustbelt city. It’s as if the attendees of Creative Mornings monthly sessions are on a spiritual pilgrimage, to reignite human connection and creative sparks – and our show steps off from there.
Our theme this episode is “Preserve,” which seems to bring every guest, and me personally, great pause. How is it hand-me-down objects, things that bring joy, and hold meaning for us, carry so much stock in our lives?
The Takeaway
So, I have a plant that was from my grandfather's funeral in the early 80s. I took that plant to college and I remember how that plant grew from the ceiling to the ground, in the filtered light of this huge catalpa tree. You know, the ones with the beans that hang down. I actually ran over it at one point in the backyard when I was moving from one house to the other I think I moved eleven times in thirteen years – back in the 90s.
Fast forward to 2019, this plant is still in my house, and I just repotted some clippings that were growing in a jar of water for probably three years.
And you know, it's not about the plant, really. It's about the connection to the memory of a great person: a green thumb, a World War One war hero, who would tell me stories of putting doors over the trenches so that he could have tea with his fellow soldiers, amid the battle. And somebody who taught me so much about being close to the land, being kind to others, and always having a sense of humor. That's what this one plant, and keeping that plant on the planet, preserves for me.
I think for everyone out there, this episode presents a unique moment to stop and reflect at all the things that you preserve, whether they're material objects or just memories – that connect you to something greater. We've hit on this theme from so many different angles. And our placement of meaning to things is the thread that pulls all of our conversation together.
Hope you enjoy listening to this episode. Remember, anything is possible with an kind heart and an open mind. - David Allen Moss, Chief Creative Officer & Host of Wake Up Call
