“... I go about my day, which isn't // ordinary exactly, because nothing is ordinary / now even when it is ordinary. Now, something's // breaking always on the skyline, falling over / and over against the ground, sometimes // unnoticed, sometimes covered up like sorrow, / sometimes buried without even a song.”

And:

“... Between / the ground and the feast is where I live now …”

We spoke in a lovely concert hall with 1,000 people sitting close, side-by-side, something none of us takes for granted anymore. I’ve been hoping that one of our shows this season would achieve what I think this one does: it holds the complexity — the strangeness and terribleness and pent up lamentation and undeniable wonder and learning of these years we’ve all just walked through. And it accompanies us in dwelling tenderly with how that is all part of us now, and how we walk forward from here.

To be clear: a quick wit and a wicked throaty laugh are part and parcel of Ada Limón’s insistent clarity and honesty. In the end, this conversation was marked by gravity and laughter in as expansive, refreshing an interplay as I’ve ever experienced before, and an exuberant wisdom on so many things.

I invite you to join in what was truly a feast of conversation, with words that work at once like a wake-up call and a balm. We’ve also shared a few of the poems she read in the podcast feed so you can download and carry them as treasures through your day.

With Love, 

Krista

We're paying attention as arts of living — practices — emerge in this season's conversations.

This week, a poem to live with: “The Quiet Machine.”

Enjoy.

And find a few notes in the video description as accompaniment.

On Air Fest: Brooklyn & The Podcast Experience

There may still be some tickets for On Air Fest and Krista’s LIVE On Being conversation with Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on February 25 at 11:15am. And explore our “Living the Questions” exhibition at the Wythe Hotel if you’re in the neighborhood: February 23-26.

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#ConversationsToLiveWith

It’s been a joy watching our digital constellation light up with gorgeous listener Reels as part of our #ConversationsToLiveWith. And you can still join in! All you need is a smartphone, an Instagram account, and your response to this question: How do you use On Being conversations as tools to live and grow with? Learn more here.