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Deep in the WoodsAuthor: Andrew McEntyre
A podcast like no otherrecorded entirely while walking in nature. Each episode follows host Andrew McEntyre and a guest as they explore various topics all guided by a single word chosen by the guest. This unique format invites raw, meaningful conversations shaped by movement, place, and the power of words. Take a walk with us into the woods and uncover the stories that connect us all. Language: en Genres: Philosophy, Places & Travel, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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3.7 - Where It All Started; A "Return" To Pigeon Hill with Dan Vollaro
Episode 7
Tuesday, 30 December, 2025
Send us a textA single word can open a whole landscape, and today that word is return. We set out along the Pigeon Hill Trail—where this show first began—to see how cycles in nature, story, and daily life shape who we become when we come back. What looks like a loop is actually a spiral: the place may seem familiar, but your eyes are not the same.We dig into the tension between awakening and routine. Mindfulness is powerful, but it isn’t a finish line to live on forever; it’s a practice that keeps us from sleepwalking through our days. Thomas Merton’s guidance—that reflection should ripple into action—nudges us to bring insight back into ordinary choices, conversations, and commitments. Along the way, we reexamine the Prodigal Son. The father’s love never changes; the son’s capacity to recognize it does. That shift reframes "return" as a moment of seeing rather than a moral about never leaving, while the older brother’s quiet constancy reveals a different kind of growth that rarely gets a party.We widen the lens with the Odyssey. Hero myths celebrate departure and homecoming, but they also carry the cost of return—the risks, losses, and hard tradeoffs. The lotus eaters tempt us to forget, yet meaning requires friction. We talk about ruts, low seasons, and why resistance is the raw material of growth. Parenting brings it close to home: letting our kids risk, fail, and return is an act of love, not negligence. Nature keeps the score honestly. Forests, seasons, and soil show that decay feeds renewal, and that coming back is less about sameness and more about regeneration.Walk with us through boulders, stories, and memory to consider where you’re being called to return—and how you might see it differently this time. If this conversation sparked something for you, follow us on Instagram for episode clips, then rate and review the show to help more people find the trail. Subscribe, share with a friend, and tell us: what are you ready to return to now?
