Summary5 min read

Contemplify Podcast – "The Famous One"

Host: Paul Swanson
Release Date: January 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this reflective solo episode, Paul Swanson delves into the potent contemplative theme of mortality—how pondering one's own death and the deaths of others can become a daily spiritual practice. Holding a light-hearted yet profound lens, Paul weaves personal stories about obituaries, mistaken identity, and spiritual teachers, arriving at the importance of "small deaths" in everyday life as a path to spiritual growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Fascination with Obituaries ([00:05]–[01:15])

Personal Admission: As a kid, Paul found himself drawn to the obituary section of the newspaper, after—of course—checking the NBA scores.
Insight: Obituaries offer succinct, poignant glimpses into lives, often moving him and leaving an imprint about the impermanence of life.
Memorable Quote:
“I found them moving to see start and finish dates of life and how one's life was described in 500 words or less by a loved one. [...] It would break my heart when a name was only fouled by a birth and death date.”
— Paul Swanson ([00:18])

2. The Rule of St. Benedict and Meditating on Death ([01:16]–[01:40])

Spiritual Grounding: Paul connects his obituary habit to the Benedictine injunction:
“Always keep death before you.”
Reflection: Unwittingly, reading obituaries became an early lesson in meditating on mortality.

3. Google Alerts for "Paul Swanson Obituary" ([01:41]–[02:21])

Modern Ritual: Lacking newspapers, Paul set a Google Alert for “Paul Swanson Obituary,” receiving notices every time someone sharing his name passes.
Effect: Each alert is a jolt, surfacing the reality of death in a deeply personal way.
Memorable Quote:
“It never fails to give me pause to see my name in print with a death date. Though I don't know any of these men, connected only by the coincidence of name is enough to feel a warm kinship with their life.”
— Paul Swanson ([02:12])

4. The "Famous Paul Swanson" and Identity ([02:22]–[04:24])

Another Paul Swanson: Paul reflects on sharing his name with an admired local teacher, often called "the Famous Paul Swanson.”
Impact: Despite never meeting, the famous Paul profoundly influenced him and his circle through stories and spiritual formation initiatives, notably founding “Adventurous Christians”—a retreat center and canoe outfit in the Boundary Waters.
Humor:
“A little on the nose, but I still love the name and that would become a holy place for me. My first chosen school of formation.”
— Paul Swanson ([03:03])
Mistaken Identity Repeated: When invited to guide trips, Paul would clarify:
“I think you're looking for the famous Paul Swanson. I'm the other Paul Swanson.” ([03:53])

5. The Death of the "Famous Paul Swanson" ([04:25]–[04:58])

Recent Loss: Paul recounts learning of the famous Paul’s death via Google Alert.
Personal Reflection: Even indirect connections can deeply move us, especially when the deceased impacted one's community and even, by proxy, their own life.

6. The Concept of “Small Deaths” ([04:59]–[06:10])

Teaching from a Mentor:
“I've been waiting for a big death and I'm realizing it's going to be a series of small deaths.” ([05:12])
Universal Truth: Paul emphasizes that spiritual and emotional “small deaths”—the losses, the letting-go, the moments of surrender—are part of everyone’s journey.

7. Contemplative Practice as Daily Dying ([06:11]–[07:29])

Daily Surrender: Each morning, Paul’s practice involves “a surrendering over of all that I think I am or should be”—a metaphorical small death.
Movement from Self-protection to God-reliance:
“That is the life that requires many small deaths so I can learn to enlarge in the givenness of life that God ceaselessly pours out into me.” ([06:43])
Tools: Rituals, spiritual practices, even seeing one’s own name in an obituary, can become invitations into what he calls “the everyday paschal mystery.”

8. Fierce Love in the Face of Mortality ([07:30]–[08:10])

Cites Barry Lopez: The importance of dying to self, so as to “fiercely and without embarrassment, say I love you and embrace fearlessly the burning world.” ([07:51])

9. A Closing Invitation ([08:11]–End)

Practice Suggestion: Paul invites listeners to, as the episode closes, connect with their breath and enter into the “exhale of a small death”—letting go and trusting the “breath of resurrection will be given.”
Memorable Quote:
“I invite you, as these words end, to follow your living breath into the exhale of a small death, of all that you think you are, trusting that the breath of resurrection will be given.”
— Paul Swanson ([08:18])

Notable Quotes

“Always keep death before you.”
— Rule of St. Benedict, as cited by Paul ([01:19])
“It never fails to give me pause to see my name in print with a death date.”
— Paul Swanson ([02:12])
“I've been waiting for a big death and I'm realizing it's going to be a series of small deaths.”
— Paul's unnamed teacher ([05:12])
“Each morning when I settle into my morning practice, I practice a small death—a surrendering over of all that I think I am or should be...”
— Paul Swanson ([06:15])
“We need reminders... to enter into this everyday paschal mystery, dying to self so we can, like Barry Lopez says, fiercely and without embarrassment, say I love you and embrace fearlessly the burning world.”
— Paul Swanson ([07:25])

Timestamps for Key Segments

Obituaries as early meditation on death: [00:05]–[01:40]
Google Alerts and the shock of names: [01:41]–[02:21]
The famous vs. the other Paul Swanson: [02:22]–[04:24]
Learning of the famous Paul’s passing: [04:25]–[04:58]
Teaching on small deaths: [04:59]–[06:10]
Daily contemplation as dying to self: [06:11]–[07:29]
Barry Lopez and embracing the world: [07:30]–[08:10]
Closing contemplative invitation: [08:11]–End

Tone & Style

Paul’s delivery is warm, humble, humorous, and gently provocative—equal parts personal story, spiritual musing, and practical invitation. The episode flows conversationally, weaving anecdotes with contemplative teachings and closing with a gentle call to embodied practice.

For new and returning listeners alike, this episode stands as an understated yet profound reflection on how even the smallest passings—be they of people, identities, or illusions—shape the contemplative journey and open us to deeper love and presence.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:05]
A
Another Musing on the Fly When I was a kid, I loved the obituary section in the newspaper. First I would check the NBA box scores, of course, but then I would move on to the obituaries. I found them moving to see start and finish dates of life and how one's life was described in 500 words or less by a loved one. World War II veterans, postal workers, parents, mechanics. You never knew the life that you would encounter even at a young age. It would break my heart when a name was only fouled by a birth and death date. Always keep death before you, says the Rule of St. Benedict. I didn't know it at the time, but my reading of obituaries I was beginning to learn to meditate on death. As I moved on into adulthood, I rarely had easy access to a hard copy of a newspaper. But about 10 years ago, the idea sprung to mind to create a Google Alert Paul Swanson Obituary. So now, anytime a Paul Swanson around the world dies, I receive their obituary. It never fails to give me pause to see my name in print with a death date. Though I don't know any of these men, connected, only by the coincidence of name is enough to feel a warm kinship with their life. In my circle of relationships, I have really only known of one other Paul Swanson. I've never met him. He is 40 years my elder, but several of my friends had him as a teacher in their high school. To distinguish between this teacher and me, we called him the Famous Paul Swanson and me the other Paul Swanson. I would hear stories about the famous Paul Swanson, his contagious passion for scripture, a wilderness guide for canoe trips in the bountary waters, and I even founded a retreat center and canoe trip outfit called Adventurous Christians. A little on the nose, but I still love the name and that would become a holy place for me. My first chosen school of formation. When I was a 20 something college student, I would get emails from the seminary associated with my college asking me if I would be open to guiding canoe trips in the Boundary Waters where I could offer my wisdom and expertise to a group of young seminarians. With a wry smile, I would always reply with an immediate yes and my thoughts on the suggested canoe route. And then I would always include a postscript that said, I think you're looking for the famous Paul Swanson. I'm the other Paul Swanson. Recently I got a Google alert that the famous Paul Swanson has died. As always, to see my name in print like this in an obituary gave me pause, but with added heft to know of this man who had shaped and formed so many of my friends lives and me by proxy in a life of wisdom, of Scripture in the wilderness. A teacher of mine recently said, I've been waiting for a big death and I'm realizing it's going to be a series of small deaths. I believe this is true for all of us, sometimes physically, but most definitely spiritually. Each time we attend to the passing of a life, a limitation or a loss, we experience a small death. Each morning when I settle into my morning practice, I practice a small death, a surrendering over of all that I think I am or should be over into the merciful living hands of God, relying not on the life I try to protect and project. That is the life that requires many small deaths so I can learn to enlarge in the givenness of life that God ceaselessly pours out into me. We need reminders like rituals and practices or maybe obituaries with our name on it to enter into this everyday paschal mystery, dying to self so we can, like Barry Lopez says, fiercely and without embarrassment, say I love you and embrace fearlessly the burning world. I invite you, as these words end, to follow your living breath into the exhale of a small death, of all that you think you are, trusting that the breath of resurrection will be given. Sa.