Today, I’m sharing something a little bit different.
You might remember that I recently mentioned having an interview to share with you. Well, if you scroll down to the middle of this post, you’ll find an audio file. It’s not quite a podcast, but more and more I’m thinking I want to start one.
Last week, I sat down on a park bench with Timm Chiusano for a conversation about life and appreciation, and the intersection of our work.
If you don’t already know Timm, he’s a former corporate marketing executive, a husband and dad, and a creator, with a thoughtful approach to living a life of intention and appreciation.
And in addition to all of that, Timm posts a reel every day - each one is like a short film, where he’s the narrator. His no-nonsense approach reads to me like a manual for living, and I’ve heard him called a modern-day Mr. Rogers.
I encountered Timm on Instagram several months ago, and have watched his daily reels and stories unfold as he prepares for the release of his book, * How to Get Addicted to Appreciation*. I was so excited to meet him, and to sit down with him for this conversation.
I want to tell you the whole story of that day, but it will have to wait because this post is already long. In the meantime, just know that I had a lot of fun doing this, even though it was a little bit intimidating at first!
The audio file below is about 35 minutes, give or take. (Maybe Substack will let you listen at a faster speed? I don’t know because I’ve never done this before.) But I’m also including a little cheat sheet with time stamps, in case you want to skip around.
Good Things to Listen For:
0:00 — Introduction
1:30 — Where it began, the manhole cover, and an earlier origin
2:03 — The rock in Central Park, and Timm’s mom’s advice to him when he was 5 years old: “You get two choices in life. You can choose to have a good time, or you can choose to have a bad time.”
2:43 — “There’s some things that just suck so much, and you have to let them suck.”
6:07 — Is appreciation a disposition, or a practice?
7:54 — Practice vs. discipline
9:40 — Why appreciation matters “Practicing gratitude is phenomenal… but it’s almost like birdwatching if you’re only looking for one bird.”
11:20 — Where practicing gratitude might lead
14:00 — Scarcity vs. openness
14:58 — Gratitude is transactional and appreciation is foundational
16:47 — Curiosity and the wormhole: “It has to start with noticing. Because if you don’t notice the bench, the wormhole never opens up.”
18:10 — Notice, Name + Share, and why gratitude can be a barrier
20:04 — What daily appreciation looks like, even on the hardest days
23:43 — My father’s Thanksgiving letter
24:33 — Timm’s morning routine: Selfish time and selfless time
30:01 — A round of Tell Me 3 Good Things
33:23 — Thank you’s
34:30 — Closing thoughts
Timm’s new book comes out next week on November 10, and you can pre-order it now. For what it’s worth, I highly recommend ordering from your local independent bookstore. If you don’t have one of your own, consider ordering from The Ivy Bookshop here in Baltimore - they’re terrific. I’ve already pre-ordered four copies from them (one of which I’m going to give away here next week - just as soon as I figure out how to do that).
I encourage you to check out Timm’s work, and his book. I think it’s going to resonate with anyone who loves the Tell Me 3 Good Things practice.
And incidentally, I’ve got a whole list of folks doing similar work, who I’d like to talk to and share those conversations with you. So let me know if you’d be interested in more of this type of content.
Friday:
Finally being able to share this interview with you. I had the idea a long time ago, and I had to go way out of my comfort zone to make it happen. Growth.
When I saw sunflowers at the market this week, I splurged and bought 3 bunches. I thought they were finished for the season, so when I saw them, I went a little overboard. But they’re stunning on my dining room table.
Dave texted on his way home to say he saw rainbows, so I went out to the roof and I spotted them too! Two of them, and I could even see the purple. So special.
Now you? Tell Me 3 Good Things?
Xo.
