Send us Fan Mail

What helps us keep caring when it’s easier to withdraw?

Christopher Johnson pairs Ntozake Shange’s words about art as a healing force with Maggie Smith’s poem “Good Bones.” Together, they invite a reflection on how poetry, music, and stories can sustain us while we acknowledge the world’s difficulties.

Christopher considers the comfort of feeling understood, the tension between protecting others and preparing them for life, and the possibility of caring for the places where we have some influence. He also explores how small choices in a gathering can help people feel welcome and heard.

This episode closes with an invitation: return to a work of art that has stayed with you. Give it your attention, and notice what it offers you now.

In this episode:

• Ntozake Shange on art, joy, and sustaining ourselves.
• The uneasy hope in Maggie Smith’s “Good Bones.”
• How art can give form to feelings we struggle to express.
• Making room for experiences that help us continue.
• Finding opportunities for care in everyday life.

Reflection question: What poem, song, or story has helped sustain you through a difficult time?

Connect with Christopher Johnson on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the newsletter for more reflections and recommendations from Calm Clear Curiosity.

Resources:

• Read “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith
• Learn about Ntozake Shange

Support the show

About Calm, Clear Curiosity

Calm, Clear Curiosity is a weekly exploration of ideas worth thinking about. Each episode begins with a quote and follows the questions it raises through books, podcasts, journalism, conversations, and other discoveries.

Hosted and produced by Christopher G. Johnson of Calm Clear Media.

Music by Jerome Gray of Cleveland Heads.

Connect & Keep Exploring

Connect with me on LinkedIn for more ideas about curiosity, communication, media, and the ways we connect with one another.

Subscribe to my newsletter for reflections, resources, recommendations, and ideas that carry on the conversation beyond the podcast.

If this episode introduced you to a new idea, raised a question, or encouraged you to see something differently, follow Calm, Clear Curiosity wherever you listen to podcasts and share the episode with someone who might enjoy it.

Keep curious.