From Sparks to Light - Inspiring Stories for Challenging Times
From Sparks to Light is the podcast about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. These are the stories of people who are giving back in different ways. Learn what inspires them and what they learned along the way. We hope their stories inspire you to find your spark and encourage you to shine your own precious light in the world.
From Sparks to Light - Inspiring Stories for Challenging Times
The Write Place - Paula Sheil
“I’m very much a proponent of chop wood, carry water. Just do,” says Paula Sheil, an educator, writer, poet and the founder and president of Tuleburg Press. “My sock drawer is incredibly organized.”
It’s an old Zen proverb. Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. When it feels like things are tough, we can still wash the dishes. Weed the garden. Clean out our sock drawer.
Paula Sheil is a dynamo. As an elementary school teacher she filled her
classroom with student created cardboard missions so that they could experience exploring California’s Camino Real. As a college educator she teaches her poetry students to shift their perspective from their own internal strife to the external world they live in. To begin to notice, to connect with the universal in life’s experience. It is there that true connection happens. As the founder of Tuleburg Press, she works to bring the voices of Stockton area writers into the world.
She’s a learn by doing kind of person, so it’s no surprise that when she was gifted an old fashioned printing press, she used it as an opportunity to create The Write Place, a non profit center where students of all ages can learn the book arts.
As you listen to this episode, consider:
- What does Paula mean when she says “chop wood, carry water”?
- When you feel stuck, discouraged or frustrated, what is one simple action you can take?
- How can you turn your attention outwards? Can you approach life with an observer's curiousity?
You can learn more about Paula, Tuleburg Press and The Write Place here.
To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.
To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website.
To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de Santiago
Follow Suzanne on Social Media
- Instagram @suzannemaggio_author
- Facebook @ Suzanne Maggio author
- Threads @suzannemaggio_author
