We’re back, and apparently summer has decided that being “busy” is now a personality trait.

In this episode of Doing the Most, Scarlet and Mitchell catch up after a trip to Omaha for a family wedding, a questionable Airbnb designed by someone apparently unfamiliar with the concept of mobility, and an airport adventure involving wheelchairs, boarding passes, tipping etiquette, and the eternal mystery of what Delta employees are actually called.

Back at home, things get no calmer. A mysterious creature starts scratching its way through the ceiling, sending Mitchell into attic-crawl-space detective mode while Scarlet heads off to acquire squirrel traps. Meanwhile, the garden continues its ongoing campaign against Mitchell’s sanity, producing an alarming quantity of squash while the squirrels produce an alarming quantity of destruction.

But eventually, as these conversations tend to do, things get a little more existential.

Mitchell finds himself confronting a problem that has been sitting in the background for much longer than the podcast: why is it so difficult to let go of stuff? The garage is still a mess. The den is still a mess. His desk is still an I-Spy puzzle made of microphones, 3D-printed objects, tools, cords, and assorted “things that might be useful someday.”

And maybe the problem isn't really the stuff.

The conversation turns toward accumulation, attachment, patterns, therapy, and the possibility that sometimes what we need isn't someone to tell us that everything is okay, but someone to give us better tools for changing the things we don't like about ourselves.

Then, because apparently this episode wasn't emotionally complicated enough, Scarlet and Mitchell talk about saying goodbye to their beloved rescue cat Beans and the sad passing of Jackie the bald eagle, one half of the eagle pair they've followed for years.

So yes. It's another episode of Doing the Most.

In This Episode

• The surprisingly complicated logistics of traveling with older family members
• Omaha, Nebraska: unexpectedly artsy, surprisingly good, and not quite what they expected
• The Airbnb that turned into a mobility obstacle course
• The eternal question: Are you supposed to tip the people who transport you through an airport in a wheelchair?
• Why airline boarding passes suddenly became a family emergency
• A mysterious scratching sound coming from the ceiling
• The discovery of a squirrel in the attic
• Mitchell's brief career as an attic wildlife sniper
• The squirrel trap strategy
• The ongoing battle between Mitchell and the garden
• How much squash is too much squash?
• Rubber snakes as squirrel deterrents
• The realization that the garden might just be another distraction
• The garage and den that have somehow remained problems for years
• The psychological burden of accumulated stuff
• “Organized chaos” versus just plain old clutter
• Why 3D printing is apparently both a hobby and a household menace
• The eternal promise that this thing I'm making will definitely help me organize everything
• Attachment to possessions and why some people have a harder time letting go
• Whether therapy might help break long-standing patterns
• The difference between validation and actually learning new tools
• The idea of finite versus infinite pursuits
• What would really matter if everything you owned disappeared?
• Saying goodbye to Beans
• Remembering Jackie the bald eagle
• The community that came together to protect Jackie and Shadow's habitat
• And, naturally, a quick departure for children's tennis

The Big Conversation

One of the recurring themes of Doing the Most is how easily everyday life turns into a collection of unfinished projects, obligations, possessions, distractions, and things we keep meaning to get around to.

This time, Mitchell takes a harder look at his own relationship with that accumulation. The garage hasn't magically become organized. The den hasn't magically become organized. The desk certainly hasn't become organized.

And despite knowing that the clutter bothers him, he keeps finding new things to do instead.

A squirrel in the attic? Emergency.

A garden being destroyed by squirrels? Emergency.

A potential new 3D-printed spice-bottle organizer? Absolutely an emergency.

Cleaning the garage? Apparently that's a different department.

The conversation becomes less about cleaning and more about the patterns underneath it. Why do we hold onto things? Why do some possessions feel important even when we barely use them? Why can getting rid of something feel harder than acquiring it in the first place?

And perhaps most importantly, what does it take to recognize a pattern and actually change it?

Also: Beans and Jackie

The episode takes a more emotional turn when Scarlet talks about surrendering their beloved rescue cat Beans to the Cat Adoption Team, with the hope that he will find a wonderful new home.

On the same day, they learned that Jackie, the bald eagle they had followed for years, had died after chronic illness.

Scarlet and Mitchell reflect on the strange connection people can develop with animals they've never actually met, and how thousands of people around the world came to care about Jackie and Shadow through the eagle's nest camera.

Jackie's story also became something much bigger than one pair of eagles. Their community raised millions of dollars to protect the land surrounding their nest, showing just how powerful a shared affection for a couple of wild birds can become.

It's a bittersweet ending to an otherwise very busy episode, and a reminder that sometimes the things we care about most aren't things we own at all.

A Few Things We Learned

Omaha is better than expected.
At least according to two people who arrived in Nebraska with some fairly questionable preconceptions.

Airports remain confusing.
Especially when you're trying to figure out wheelchair transportation, tipping, boarding passes, and who exactly is responsible for what.

Squirrels are relentless.
They will invade your attic. They will destroy your garden. They will ignore your attempts to teach them a lesson.

3D printers create more problems than they solve.
At least according to Scarlet.

Stuff is complicated.
Getting rid of something isn't always as simple as deciding you don't need it.

Sometimes the thing that needs organizing isn't the garage.

From the Episode

“I’m addicted to crud.”

That may be the most concise summary of Mitchell's ongoing relationship with stuff.

But there's another thought hiding underneath all that clutter:

“What would you really lament?”

If the house disappeared tomorrow, what would actually matter?

The answer might have considerably less to do with possessions than we think.

Listen to Episode 38

Doing the Most with Scarlet and Mitchell

Because apparently even when they're on vacation, dealing with squirrels, attempting to organize, or saying goodbye to things they love, they're still doing the most.

Thanks for listening.