"My tree was planted in a metal bucket." - Ken Woodward

Some mornings, the ordinary holds the weight of everything. A walk to the garage. An attempt to correct a gait. A drift back to comfort. Ken opens this solo episode with that image and asks why returning to comfort is the default setting of an adult life.

Drawing on the work of Nigerian-born British photographer and activist Misan Harriman, Ken investigates the mourning that accompanies genuine personal growth. The mourning for the world you thought you believed in. The mourning for the person you were sure was good enough.

Ken traces his own reckoning through the identities that once added up to a clean equation. Each one a nutrient in the soil he was given. Each one another layer of metal on the bucket his tree was planted in. Growing. Just with no room to expand.

This episode is about noticing the bucket. Cracking it open. And dragging your roots toward soil that can actually hold them.

This Curated Questions episode can be found on all major platforms and at CuratedQuestions.com.

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Resources Mentioned

Misan Harriman

Harriman Instagram Post

Heraclitus

Producer Ben