Welcome to the Gathering Pod, the audio version of my weekly gathering room broadcast.

I'm Martha Beck.

I just got back from Africa.

Africa, South Africa, Launalosey, the most magical place in the world.

And you know, I always expect it to be magical, and it always is more magical than my wildest expectation. I have to tell

you, it's an incredible place. So, gosh, wish I could fix Facebook en route. But, gosh, this is not the way

I'd imagine this going.

Let me just tell you, clearly I need guidance.

And I'm not, I am not doing that well here.

All right. I have been gone for, I don't know how many weeks, maybe three, maybe four,

but I am back and look, you guys are showing up too. It's amazing. We're back in the gathering room.

And I had the most amazing experiences there, as I always do. The very first night I was there,

I was by a sliding glass door that had a screen on it. And the screen, I didn't realize the glass was open and the screen was closed. Um, hang on. So, oh, shoot.

I was just telling Roe that she needs to come down and help me when she is actually in New York

City.

So let's refresh that.

So I'm sitting there by this screen, right? And enjoying the morning, the evening

air, it's dark outside. I'm wearing my leopard skin fuzzy pajamas because that's what I wear.

And all of a sudden I hear, you know how when you have a mouse or something in your house or a

squirrel or something, you

can hear if they're just on the other side of the wall, or if they're in the wall, or if

they're in the room with you?

...