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Rowan Mangan

Writer. Mom. Wild Inventurer.

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Welcome to Looking for America!

This is where I write about x, y, z and why I do this thing in the first place. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, brute argumentum quaerendum nam ei. Est iudicabit abhorreant consectetuer ei, dicant aliquid mea in, vim et volutpat consetetur. Dolore antiopam ea ius. Qualisque percipitur delicatissimi vel ne. No sed oratio pidis. Verterem democritum mea et, vidit doming ne nam. Quodsi atomorum nam at, ei qui liber deleniti, ea vel quod euripidis. Ut rebum suscipit nam. Pertinax assentior argumentum cu vis, vel voluptua epicurei facilisis et, ex bonorum phaedrum moderatius vix. Timeam similique delicatissimi mel at, mea altera delectus adolescens id.

Parenting inventures

August 17, 2021

As you might already know, “inventure” is my word for a way of living that puts nature before culture. It’s all about living in a way that feels right to you, even if it looks weird to others: our extended families, our friend groups, our ethnic communities. You name it, there’s a culture trying to […]

Filed Under: Parenting inventures

What are Wild Inventures?

August 17, 2021

I’m so glad you asked! Let’s say that an ADventure is a quest or mission you go out into, much like Frodo Baggins and his friends do in Lord of the Rings. I like adventures fine, and I’m lucky enough to have been on many in my life. An INventure is a different kind of […]

Filed Under: Parenting inventures

Pandemic babies, lockdown life

August 16, 2021

In some new parent spaces I visit online, I often hear some version of “OH NO! My pandemic baby has had an unnatural life in lockdown! He’s going to be socially stunted!” It’s easy to get hooked by big fears like this, especially when you’re new to the parenting gig. So I spent some time […]

Filed Under: Parenting inventures

Precious precious wild

July 21, 2021

Every night when I put Lila down in her crib, this is the last thing I say to her: “Strong back, soft front, wild heart.” I touch her back, her tummy and her chest as I say the words, and then I tell her I love her. It has become like an incantation, magical words […]

Filed Under: Parenting inventures Tagged With: Lila, parenting, wildparenting

My Bullet Journal friend

October 3, 2019

Embarrassing revelation: when I look at this grubby, scuffed little yellow notebook—my bullet journal—I feel a genuine affection. A warm, swelly sensation in my heart, such as one might feel for a dear friend, or humankind. It’s odd, yes, but also kind of cool. It makes me ponder the concept of inanimate friends, like the […]

Filed Under: Work inventures Tagged With: bujo, bullet journal, inanimate friends, productivity

The Turning, a poem

September 10, 2018

THE TURNING I. My sweet darlings, however did you stay afloat for so long and never suspect you were built to breathe underwater? Why did you never toss thoughts around in three dimensions, never loose them like dragonflies into the deep sky? How could you fear falling? Didn’t you see the spiders stringing safety nets […]

Filed Under: Work inventures Tagged With: poetry

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False spring? I’ll take it. The winter has been de False spring? I’ll take it. The winter has been deep and dark and today smells like HOPE #thaw #catskills
If we see ourselves as part of a greater whole and If we see ourselves as part of a greater whole and not as these little individual entities, it’s a form of integrity—a spiritual lens of oneness. ♾️

The whole ego and the idea of the separate self is actually a form of multiplicity. 🧩

When we act with intent to affect the whole, that’s a way of becoming more in integrity with consciousness. For example: “The receptionist and I, together, are going to bring down our net stress level by me getting super calm.” 🪷

In this week’s episode of Bewildered, we talk about how we can allow ourselves to know what we know and feel what we feel, and how to restore our integrity and come into alignment with consciousness. Join us!

🎧 You can listen to Bewildered episode 120: Trusting Your Spider Senses, access the show notes, and find links to resources on our website at the link in our bio—or on your favorite podcasting app.
… And she’s at it again! New prayers sown today 🌱 … And she’s at it again! New prayers sown today 🌱
My memoir will be entitled PAJAMA FARMER*: HOW I C My memoir will be entitled PAJAMA FARMER*: HOW I COPED WHEN THE WORLD WENT BATSHIT INSANE

*This rhymes in my accent
It’s cold and it’s crunchy and it’s definitely not It’s cold and it’s crunchy and it’s definitely not wet (definitely). I’m a little confused about what happens later when soft-crunchy comes inside with me and… changes. I’m still learning.
First solstice in our Hudson Valley home. Music, f First solstice in our Hudson Valley home. Music, firewood, blankets and these mountains. So much gratitude.
Holiday vibes from this lil guy #BilboBaggins Holiday vibes from this lil guy #BilboBaggins
We’ve been wondering…when we say we want to do som We’ve been wondering…when we say we want to do something, are we following nature or culture?

Think about your qualities as a person, or the contents that make up your day:

📜 Are you adhering to a social script of rules?
🦋 Or are you following a series of delightful experiences?

It’s a fascinating question, and we’re digging into it on this episode of Bewildered!

We talk about getting bursts of dopamine from even little things that you love—like finding the right words or sautéing onions and garlic—and how other things (like checking your texts) can make you think, “Please don’t hurt me!”

Sometimes we do things out of joy, and other times out of fear. To go even deeper into what you want and why, and how to tell the difference between the influence of culture and your own wild nature, join us for the full conversation. It’s a fun one!

You can listen to Bewildered episode 117: I Want to Be the Person Who, access the show notes, and find links to resources on our website at the link in our bio—or on your favorite podcasting app. 🎧
On a Wednesday #Catskills On a Wednesday 

#Catskills
Morning magic ❄️ Morning magic ❄️
Making Christmas cookies with @themarthabeck. It l Making Christmas cookies with @themarthabeck. It looks so calm here but Marty called the whole experience “Cooking With Beagles.” The kid likes her sugar.
Martha’s book Beyond Anxiety showed that if you re Martha’s book Beyond Anxiety showed that if you remain clenched in the part of your brain that’s focused on misery, exploitation, and suffering—and, let’s be honest, a touch of self-righteousness—you stay stuck in judgment.

That’s why “Must be nice” is always said in that particular tone of voice... 😒

From that mental space, you can sneer, you can put other people down, you can even empathize, but you cannot solve. You can’t create real change from that place.

So why would you want to reach for “resting joy face” at a time like this? Because that’s exactly what’s needed in the world. 🌎

Tune in for this episode of Bewildered to explore how we can shift from self-righteous misery to joyful effectiveness, let go of that cynical “must be nice” mindset, and learn how to solve problems with creativity and optimism.

You can listen to Bewildered episode 116: Resting Joy Face, access the show notes, and find links to resources on our website at the link in our bio—or on your favorite podcasting app. 🎧
There’s a cultural way of thinking that says when There’s a cultural way of thinking that says when I just get through all this stuff…

🗓️ things on my schedule
💩 shit on my floor (or mouse corpses 🐭💀)
🧽 dishes in my sink
💼 meetings

…THEN there will be space and time.

On this episode of Bewildered, we’re talking about inverting that way of thinking.

If we give things up first, in order for space to appear, then whatever wants to be born in your life—that’s where it will come from.

If you’ve ever thought about something you wanted, “I would give anything for that,” then this is an episode you really won’t want to miss. Join us!

You can listen to Bewildered episode 115: You Gotta Put Down the Duckie if You Wanna Play the Saxophone, access the show notes, and find links to resources on our website at the link in our bio—or on your favorite podcasting app. 🎧
Do you ever feel like something’s got to give? Tha Do you ever feel like something’s got to give? That to make any time for yourself and your dreams, it’s either going to eat out of your sleep early in the morning, or it’s going to eat out of your sleep late at night?

We’ve all been there—sacrificing sleep to keep up with life, only to find ourselves unraveling in the process. In this episode of Bewildered, we dig into the impossible tradeoff between rest, soul, and survival in a culture that demands too much from us.

The worst thing about the formula of not having enough sleep, occasionally or chronically, is that you feel awful and you can’t actually excel at any of the things you’re giving up your sleep to do:

🧑🏽‍🍼 You can’t parent.
🍳 You can’t domestic.
🧑🏻‍💻 You can’t do a job.
😵 You can’t function.

So ultimately that becomes the choice: How much sleep do I surrender for my soul? And how completely inept do I become, trying to perform for the culture in my day-to-day life? Because when you give up sleep, you might as well be drinking poison. ☠️

Lack of sleep is absolutely horrendous for every aspect of your health, every aspect of your relationships, every aspect of your performance. And yet, that is the thing people give up!

If you’re sleep-deprived and feeling like you have no time to do all of the things you need and want to do, tune in for the full episode. We question the cultural formula that has us trading health for survival, and explore what it means to choose ourselves first. Join us!

You can listen to Bewildered episode 114: Parenting, Work, and the Fight Not to Disappear, access the show notes, and find links to resources on our website at the link in our bio—or on your favorite podcasting app. 🎧
Americans! Everyone vote already? #democracy Americans! Everyone vote already? #democracy
Do you ever feel a little self-centered about your Do you ever feel a little self-centered about your creativity?

In this episode of Bewildered, we’re talking about something we call “filling the well”— replenishing ourselves so we can be inspired to create. ✨

Sometimes we can lose track of the fact that creativity is for nourishing others, not just ourselves. At the same time, it has a beautiful run-on effect where we can be creatively replenished by someone else’s creative work.

It may sound so obvious, yet we can often lose sight of it. That’s because in our culture, we’re supposed to always be making things: produce, produce, produce. 🏭

Yet receiving someone else’s creativity is the completion of the creative process—because creativity is always made to connect. Sometimes it just connects the artists with themselves, but it’s most often meant to connect different people.

Creating is the coming together of emotion and experience, so if it’s not received, it’s not complete. That means that receiving someone else’s creativity—deeply appreciating another person’s creative work—is part of the creative act and one that we don’t value enough.

To hear more about receiving others’ creativity to stay replenished, connected, and inspired, join us for the full conversation! 🎙️

You can listen to Bewildered episode 112: Filling the Creative Well, access the show notes, and find links to resources on our website at the link in our bio—or on your favorite podcasting app. 🎧

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