The Unruly Muse Lynn C. Miller and John Modaff

36. The Family (April, 2024)
John and Lynn dive into the complicated bonds of family. Who do we consider family? Those we let into this tight circle can criticize and appreciate us both and still stay members. Every family has its rituals of sorts. What keeps this unit from spinning out so far that the people making it up lose their connection to each other? Our poems and songs, fiction and patter this month tackle both the glue and the mysteries of this most ancient institution. There are limits to membership but what are they and how can they be dissolved or reinforced? Take a deep breath and cast a keen eye onto your own family configurations. Keep the faith and don’t forget humor which makes the whole thing hang together!

Episode Summary
The Duo peep over the fence to regard the topic of strange bedfellows. What are these unusual pairings by the way? We see them in marriages, in politics, in friendships, in happenings that make us ponder. They are certainly incongruous, which can be a delight, a surprise, or a shock. Contrast makes the everyday occurrence come into the frame, so we’ve decided we need a little strangeness to make life make sense. We veer from the mythic to gentle humor, to deep meditation. Enjoy life’s paradoxes and keep an eye out for the ones that pop up in your life. Also, watch out who stands beside you!

The Unrulies contemplate an essential aspect of human beings––the ability and desire to forgive––yet one rarely written about. Without it, relationships would fail, slights create chasms in friendships, and moral acts lose their ground. In public life, is it considered “weak” to forgive? Is the act of forgiving instead full of grace? We doubt many regret their acts of forgiveness, but here we peer into the crannies of motivation and ponder how hope and acceptance and forgiveness connect. We wish you much giving and receiving of forgiveness in 2024!

John and Lynn finish out 2023 meditating on the cost of money. What people value figures into our sense of money, as does what we consider currency in the culture around us. Is money for some a signifier of power or a hedge against immortality? Or, do many desire that elusive “just enough” for a comfortable life? Our selections deal with wealth in our lives from the natural world to the risks of investing to the joys and discomforts of donating to good causes. We wish you a happy new year and hope that whatever riches you value most will visit you in 2024. In the meantime, enjoy some songs, stories, poems and patter as you tune into your Unruly self!

As winter approaches, The Unrulies retreat into considering relaxation, meditation, and the quieter side of just being. Dreams unspool interspersed with memories, ancestral images seep into our waking moments as we ponder nature, love, and forgiveness. What are the songs that calm us and take us deeper into thought and feeling? How do we keep our equilibrium in a fractured world? Kick back, listen, let your mind roam.

The Unruly Duo creep into the basement to shed light on the murky world where monsters lurk. Does anything we don’t understand or want to face get dumped into the monster bin? Creepy crawlies, voracious reptiles, and pod people get all the attention, but what about the monsters living among us? As the world lurches off its axis, the human mind digs deep into the basement of fear. With a nod to the classic film scaries of the '30s and '40s (Bela Lugosi anyone?), John and Lynn take a tour of the layered lairs of monsters. Lock your doors…