Letters from Emery

About Letters from Emery

Soul food & tactical advice for living your best life. lettersfromemery.substack.com (https://lettersfromemery.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

By Keaton Gaibler

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

14 Jun 2022

Latest episode

7 May 2026

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 May 2026

   Re: Your adventure

   I had a daydream the other day, about this wonderful puzzle called life. As I totter my own line between faith and free will, I thought it fitting to share. I hope you bathe in it as such—a daydream pondering more than a soapbox lecture. Take from it what you will… A thread in the fog You’re standing at the base of a mountain range. And you look to the few mountains you might like to climb. You assess what you can, Perhaps even what “calls” to you. And at some point— Time, crumbling away the cliff of comfort beneath you— You must choose a mountain to climb. Chances are, something will pull you, and you’ll have to decide. So, you move in the direction you feel most pulled… The trail will start out foggy. But along the way, the path will begin to clear. One step at a time, the path will clear. And clear, And clear some more. You’re finally making way, the sun warming your skin & soul. This, with the utmost certainty, is where the path will fork. You’ve made it so far already (in whatever direction you chose, and for whatever reason, still uncertain). So… you’ve got to decide (again). One is the path and the path alone, Lovely, rich with all you could ask of a grand adventure. It ends in a summit, just like the other. But riddled, too, with fog, treachery, and danger, With no chance for help. The other path, ripe in equal danger, Hosts a faint, golden thread weaving quietly along the side, One that glows when you speak to it. If you were to wander off-path or, God forbid, get lost, You could find your way with a whisper. Time to decide… Do you blindly follow the left fork, with nothing to guide you? The cynical would look to the thread and scoff: “What trick is this? I don’t need a rope. And what if it’s a trap?” Or do you, with a curious faith and optimism, decide there must be something to this thread in the fog… And pick the right? The point is, Life is a fog. And (I’ve come to think) God designed it that way so that I’d have to trust in something beyond my own mind to navigate it: Him. I’d have to trust in Him. Lest I waste my days and this glorious opportunity called “life” wandering around in the fog, hoping (to no one) I just happen to get it all right by chance. Personally, I’ve been arrogant at times to think I can manage on my own. Wandering around in the fog, convincing myself I’ll again find the sun, and “on my own, damnit”… Without fail, the fog has only thickened, and only the more lost have I become. The times when I’ve picked up that golden thread again… My path has cleared in days. Without fail. True story… I wrote this piece some 8 months ago. Last week, I started reading the Bible again (picked up my thread)… This morning, I finished the book of John, flipped through my notes, and this verse jumped out at me: “Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.” -John 12:35 As I closed my Bible, with resounding clarity, I heard a whisper to “go sit and write”… Guess what was at the top of my drafts… I hope you got something from this, however small. I myself certainly still grapple with this “thread in the fog” daily. But that’s the beauty of it, I think. I don’t have it figured out in the slightest… But, thread in hand, I can happily take the next step in this grand adventure of life knowing… It hasn’t steered me wrong yet. Who really knows, I guess, but… I like my odds. Wishing you the grandest adventure, -Emery Someone come to mind? New here? Sign up for soul food and tactical ponderings on the art of living. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromemery.substack.com (https://lettersfromemery.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   5 Mar 2026

   Hey again

   Hi everyone, It’s been since April 22nd, 2025, since I’ve written to you. Sad, I know. And I can’t blame you if you thought I was done with these letters for good. Seems I’ve written a few of these “come back” letters and, believe me, I hate that… Even if it’s a quick dance and a scribble, I’m gonna try to keep some coming. At least to save myself (let alone all of you) from the words, “I’m back”… That’s probably a letter in itself… Anyway, I wrote this today, and I know it might sound sad and “Blue”, but I thought I’d share it, in the spirit of being “back” and all… (Yuck) Here ‘goes… Clearing the cobwebs Seems like every time I’ve sat down to write lately It’s been about how long it’s been since I have This ole world, Blue… Got me running around for checks Checking boxes Checking schedules Checking in on this Checking out on that Meanwhile, my books cry softly in the corner Collecting cobwebs Meanwhile, my typewriter sits sad on the shelf Drawing its own chalk outline of dust Meanwhile, my journals, some 15 of them, sulk in the corner Longing for the pen And for once-excited hands As of late, My book of to-do’s Has been my finest work This crazy ole world, Blue… “Golden silk from worlds beyond Reach through heaven’s arms To embrace me in the breath of day” These days distilled down to “Sun in the trees” When did my mind lose her poetry When did my eyes lose their lust for life When did my feet trade their dance for a shuffle Where has Emery gone? That wild-eyed, life-thirsty rebel, craving for meaning beyond all words and happily foaming at the mouth for adventure Hell… Maybe this is his first at-bat… Back at last from the black, bastard depths of this bat-shit ole world Someone on your mind? Subscribe for more soul food and tactical advice for the art of living. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromemery.substack.com (https://lettersfromemery.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   5 Feb 2024

   Make today count

   I think I can speak for all of us (Enough of us at least) To say… At the end of this thing called life We’d like to say it counted for something. I would never try to define what that “something” is for you. I would never try to say that you’re not already making your “something” count. And I would never say that doing what you need to is outside of your “something”. But what I will say Is this… If you want your life to count for something (Something beyond just paying your taxes and enjoying your favorite Netflix show, let’s say) * (If you haven’t already) I hope you genuinely make some time to figure out what the hell your “something” really is * I’m no God, but if I could live a second in his shoes, I’d say your “something” might be something like… Your unique gift(s) applied in the service of others/the world at large. * Multiply that over a lifetime and maybe that “something” is something like: Someone who found their unique gift(s) and tried their best to make the world better through them. * Once you’ve found your “something”, I hope you make the time every day to act on it * Yes, we all have things to do. Yes, life gets in the way sometimes. But if every day of your life, life got in the way of you pursuing your “something”… Well, the world wouldn’t be what it could be if you didn’t let it get in the way. * (Even 20 minutes a day would do… and we all have 20 minutes) As the days have rolled on, regardless of me doing my “something” about them or not I’ve become ever more painfully aware That if I want my life to count for something Then I better make every day I get count for something So… How will you make this fine day in this life of yours count for something? (Beyond a paycheck and your favorite Netflix show, let’s say) Something to chew on this fine Monday morning at least… Wishing you a day that counts And if you haven’t found it yet (like me) All the strength and clarity you need to find it (Your “something”), -Emery P.S. I’m no God Almighty, but I can say that I’ve fought with my “something” a lot (and still do every day). If you need a starting point for that bottomless question, this was mine: “If I were God (my creator)—looking down on me in my final moments— What would I wish he (my creation) had done with the life he was given To make me (God) say: ‘Well done, my child. That was a life well-lived.’ ? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lettersfromemery.substack.com (https://lettersfromemery.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

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Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

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