Living in the Gray

April Capochino Myers

Welcome to "Living in the Gray," a podcast where I explore the fascinating paradoxes of life and discover how embracing the gray areas can lead to profound peace and fulfillment. I'm your host, April Capochino Myers, and today we embark on a journey of curiosity and introspection.

  1. The Ego (Again)

    Feb 10

    The Ego (Again)

    This isn't the first time I've talked about Ego -- check out Episode 9, too! But I bring it up again because of the week I've had. There are some of you out there who've probably had a similar week -- you're not alone. My kids were sick, work was overwhelming ... you get it. And then I ran into a lot of egos. Remember the ego is the part of the brain that wants to keep us safe. The part that's on high-alert and reminds us people are out to get us. I heard this great quote I heard it from Jesse Itzler, but credit for the original goes to Robin Sharma. It says, "A bad day for the ego is a great day for the soul." Basically, if you can set your ego aside and be curious, the world opens up. I try to live every day open now. But life is 50/50 and I'm human and so is everyone else. So this week, my ego flared. I got defensive. Instead of choosing how I wanted to show up, I let the ego take over. It looked like me being frustrated a lot, focusing energy on what I couldn't control, not much good sleep, frustration erupting at home where it shouldn't. Because I felt hurt. We're all going to encounter this. But as I detox from this week, I try to have as much gratitude as I can. I've gone for walks, tried to be present, I've sought out sunsets and sunrises, I've just stopped and looked at my loved ones and try to share something that I love them to show them. When you're frustrated and angry, there's still time to have gratitude. These things will pass. Links from this episode: My Book! Living in the Gray – A Memoir About Navigating Life’s Paradoxes Jesse Itzler Robin Sharma Insight Timer metta meditaions If you heard yourself in today’s episode, you’re not alone. My book, Living in the Gray gathers ten years of writing about living inside life’s paradoxes — the both/and moments that shape who we become. It’s a deeper look at the questions behind these conversations. Visit my website or Amazon to explore the book, and join me on social media: InstagramLinkedIn:FacebookSubstack

    9 min
  2. Puzzles

    Feb 3

    Puzzles

    I love puzzles. I do one 1,000-piece puzzle a year, but I want to do more. I take my time setting up -- turning the pieces over, getting the edge set, and more. Then I go at the puzzle by sections I think I can do first. It takes me months. I do them a little at a time. I like the music on and a cup of tea at my side. It's so relaxing. My business coach shared a quote from Virginia Woolf: "Arrange whatever pieces come your way." It's stuck with me for a couple weeks. I thought I was going to die back in May when I was a passenger in a car accident. I thought I was going to die, upside down, in the swampiest part of Louisiana an hour from home. As I drove home from the hospital later that day, I remember asking myself what I was doing with my life. What had I been doing to get in that car? There was a lot of self-blame. The next couple months were hard. I was trying to make sense of and control everything. What I needed was to give up the wondering and acknowledge I was there for a reason. Metaphorically, I had to stop using my flashlight to look far into the dark unknown ahead, but rather shine down right by my feet to show me where I was now. Since then, my self-worth and spirituality have grown. I have started showing up the way I want to and treated others the way I want to be treated. I've focused on my circle of control. Enter the quote: Arrange whatever pieces come your way. It comes when I'm working on this giant puzzle. If you look at the same pieces over and over, and try to cram them in where they won't fit, you get nowhere. But if you step back for a bit, you find the pieces and fit them in where they ought to be, I've realized the way I want to live my life is to arrange whatever comes my way. To surrender to the fact that there is a path and there is a plan and I'm trusting that I'm on it. If I need to pivot, I will. If I need to turn around, I will. But I have to trust that I'm on the journey that has been planned for me. Links from this episode: My Book! Living in the Gray – A Memoir About Navigating Life’s Paradoxes British author Virginia Woolf Susie Tucker, my business coach If you heard yourself in today’s episode, you’re not alone. My book, Living in the Gray gathers ten years of writing about living inside life’s tensions — the both/and moments that shape who we become. It’s a deeper look at the questions behind these conversations. Visit my website or Amazon to explore the book, and join me on social media: InstagramLinkedIn:FacebookSubstack

    10 min
  3. Scarcity vs. Abundance

    Jan 27

    Scarcity vs. Abundance

    My soul circle group had another great discussion this week that has stuck with me all week, so I'm expanding on it here because I think it will help others, too. We're expecting a storm here, so I headed to grocery store to stock up. It's a habit I picked up in the Northeast. We have a fear of scarcity because things might shut down. So there I was in the supermarket for just a few things -- we didn't need much. But I saw people buying up all the bread. There were only a few loaves left. I didn't need bread, but in that moment, I felt like if I didn't get some, something bad would happen. I think that's thanks to lizard brain -- the leftover instincts from our pre-historic ancestors who were hard-wired to survive. We don't want to be left out. That's scarcity. Then there's abundance. We're pretty materialistic in this country and we want all the things. But it's not really the things we crave, it's the feeling we get when we have the things. Gratitude helps me keep those feelings of needing to go out and chase more things. It keeps me in that state of abundance. I try to reframe the things I'm afraid of and be thankful for what I do have and have had. My kids are teenagers, and starting to gain their independence. That's hard, because my identity was tied to raising them for so many years. I have a feeling of scarcity about the time we have left and wonder if I did enough, teach them enough, etc. I flip that into abundance by looking back at photos and other memories to remind me of all the good times we had together. Links from this episode: My Book! Living in the Gray – A Memoir About Navigating Life’s Paradoxes If you heard yourself in today’s episode, you’re not alone. My book, Living in the Gray gathers ten years of writing about living inside life’s tensions — the both/and moments that shape who we become. It’s a deeper look at the questions behind these conversations. Visit my website or Amazon to explore the book, and join me on social media: InstagramLinkedIn:FacebookSubstack

    11 min

About

Welcome to "Living in the Gray," a podcast where I explore the fascinating paradoxes of life and discover how embracing the gray areas can lead to profound peace and fulfillment. I'm your host, April Capochino Myers, and today we embark on a journey of curiosity and introspection.