Sarah Bishop and I discuss why decadence can actually deprive us of joy and how we may be able to reclaim the full dynamic range of life. We took inspiration from an article in The Guardian called “Why Does Everything Feel So Joyless? by Michèle Mendelssohn and Charlie Tyson. It's worth reading in full here:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/26/age-of-decadence-pleasure-ai

But first, she gave me the rundown on the fall happenings at the Carousel of Happiness.

I got an update on the picnic table art project that we first learned about in our episode with CB Miller. Then Sarah gave me the lowdown on the Animals After Dark Gala taking place on November 7, 2026. You can learn more here and secure your tickets here:

https://carouselofhappiness.org/annualgala/

We also talked Halloween and the Carousel of Spookiness:

https://carouselofhappiness.org/the-carousel-of-spookiness-rides-again/

Next time around, I’m revisiting my conversation with illustrator and cartoonist, George Blevins – but we’re not talking about art. We’re talking about civics. We’ll hear his account of his days as a Freedom Rider, and I hope it inspires all of us to be bravely stand up for what we believe is right. Since the US midterms are right around the corner, that can start with one simple act: voting.

Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message!

Support the show

The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences.

Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online (https://carouselofhappiness.org/), on social media (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness), or in real life. Or consider donating (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round.

If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org

Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose (https://darryl...

Today is the one year anniversary of the terrible fire that destroyed the Caribou Village Shopping Center, and about 20 local businesses. It very nearly took the carousel too.

We’ll hear what happened that night from the perspective of some of the people closest to the carousel, including its carver Scott Harrision and carousel operator and poet Burt Rashbaum. As you’ll hear, they had front row seats, in addition to important roles to play.

Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message!

Support the show

The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences.

Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online (https://carouselofhappiness.org/), on social media (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness), or in real life. Or consider donating (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round.

If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org

Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose (https://darryl...

Fall is in the air and we’re going back to school. Instead of numbers and ABCs, we’re learning about emotions, empathy, about the transformative power of parenting, and how the Carousel of Happiness has an important role to play as "third space" in our community.

Our guest is Betsy Epp, my colleague, friend, and parenting mentor. Betsy is the Social Emotional Learning Coordinator at New Explorers Learning Center, Nederland Elementary School, and across our community.

You can learn more about the Mountain Strong Families parenting sessions at https://teensinc.org/msf/

Do you have a story to share? Leave us a message!

Support the show

The Carousel of Happiness is a nonprofit arts & culture organization dedicated to inspiring happiness, well-being, and service to others through stories and experiences.

Check out the carousel on the CBS national news! https://www.cbsnews.com/news/carousel-daydream-helped-marine-get-through-vietnam-war-he-then-made-that-carousel-a-reality/

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider visiting the Carousel of Happiness online (https://carouselofhappiness.org/), on social media (https://www.facebook.com/carouselofhappiness), or in real life. Or consider donating (https://carouselofhappiness.org/once-donate/) to keep the carousel and its message alive and spinning 'round and 'round.

If you have a story to share, please reach out to Nick and Sarah at outreach@carouselofhappiness.org

Special thanks to songwriter, performer, and friend of the carousel, Darryl Purpose (https://darryl...