The Unclouded Hours Podcast

Monthly Invitation to Rest Ep 11: Home

What began as a cool cloudy morning made a quick switch to daylight and warmth. Spring suddenly gave way to summer here in the Northern Hemisphere, before baking us in a week of heat, then returning to rain. The weather is officially in transition, as are many of us; several dear friends are in the midst of moving house, and I am among them. ‘A change is as good as a rest’ we hear, but rest seems a tall order when that particular change take the form of travel, or looks as wholesale as our own home transplanted and relocated—what studies show is one of the top three most stressful experiences we will face in a lifetime. Continuing from last month’s invitation to rest, this month we take on the challenge to rest, even in the midst of uprooting and change. What will rest look like for you this month? Share with us below or at www.dianamsmith.substack.com. P.S. If you liked this episode, will you please like, subscribe or let us know? It helps us, and lets others know a conversation about rest is possible in real life. Thank you! Get full access to Unclouded Hours at dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe [https://dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Monthly Invitation to Rest Ep 10: Finding a refuge

This weekend in the UK is the May bank holiday, beginning with Beltane and the new moon today, and culminating with May the 4th. When planning long weekends, holidays or vacations, one of the first questions we tend to ask is, where am I going to go? We may dream of exotic places or faraway destinations that create distance from our day-to-day. But perhaps a better question, especially when we have come from a very tired place, is, what kind of environment do I want to step into? What is the particular kind of place or physical environment that would feel most restful? This month, we take a few minutes by the Old Oak Tree to explore the art of refuge, and what a place can bring back to us that we might not have known we had lost. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by sharing, liking or subscribing. This helps others join the conversation, and sends a signal that it’s time for more conversations about rest in the world. Thank you! To learn more, visit dianamsmith.substack.com. Get full access to Unclouded Hours at dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe [https://dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Monthly Invitation to Rest Ep 9: Silence

In the garden, there's a new arrival I’ve never seen before: a yellow tulip. There are actually two of them, and each morning I wonder how long the bulbs have been hiding there, and what silent work they’ve been doing underground to finally surface now, just when our rain-weary eyes are most in need of something bright. Something else has been silently working behind the scenes: a new project, which is coming soon, and which we let poet Wendell Berry usher us into in this month’s episode and practice for rest. For today: perhaps find a place to sit down for this episode, and enjoy the sounds around the Old Oak Tree. To our little band of faithful listeners and 'rest friends,' thank you for being here. (And new subscribers, thank you for joining us!) To bright surprises, ~ Diana P.S. If there is a book in you that has been asking you to write it, I have a seat still open at my upcoming writing and rest retreat, Write in the Countryside, later this month. Perhaps it’s yours? Learn more here [https://dianamsmith.com/contact], or simply tap reply to this post. . . . . . How to be a Poet by Wendell Berry, from New Collected Poems [https://bookshop.org/a/78862/9781619021525] (Counterpoint, 2013). Music and editing by Corrective Lens. Get full access to Unclouded Hours at dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe [https://dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Monthly Invitation to Rest Ep 8: The welcome guest

Dear Friends, In the news this week was the announcement that is has rained every day since the turn of the new year in England. While the UK is renowned for its wet weather, there seems to be no end to the sky’s weeping, no light to remind us of the fact that spring will in fact come again. Rest, we often think, is the sunshine version of a life; bright and temporary, like the perfect advertised vacation destination. But even the weather of our human heart can meet us in a space of reprieve. Is rest then ruined? How do we step into rest in times of great grief, or even great joy? This month, a translation of Rump’s poem The Guest House (one I had not heard before now), threaded with a few practical tips offered by the Nagasaki sister’s in their book Burnout, offer us ideas and shelter when the rough weather of the world appears nonstop. Special thanks to Sidney McGregor [https://substack.com/profile/73945798-sidney-mcgregor] for the music and thoughtful editing of this episode. For more on rest, writing, and leading, visit me at dianaamsmith.com. Wishing you a bit of warming sun to see you through, Diana Get full access to Unclouded Hours at dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe [https://dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]

Monthly Invitation to Rest Ep 7: Flying Low

In the midst of a crowded -- or, as we like to say here, 'clouded' -- life, it may seem like our only moments to rest are in those rare chances we get to escape real life. Meanwhile, other living things have a deeper understanding: Rest is where real life comes back alive. How do we then rest in the midst of what we must do? Recorded on a rainy day as a new year was just waking up, we borrow a practice from Mary Oliver that she called 'flying low.' Stay inspired and explore more at "Unclouded Hours" on Substack: dianamsmith.substack.com. Many thanks to Sid McGregor at Collective Lens for his musical talents and audio production. Today's poem is called, "Today," by Mary Oliver, from A Thousand Mornings (Penguin, 2013). Get full access to Unclouded Hours at dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe [https://dianamsmith.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4]