Morgan May Treuil [00:00:00]:
Welcome back to Am I Doing this Right? Happy Monday and happy holiday season, because this is your Monday before Thanksgiving.
Leslie Johnston [00:00:09]:
Huh?
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:10]:
Really quick. I stopped by Starbucks on the way over here because I wanted for Leslie and I to do a holiday taste test. So for you guys, in case you wanted to get something from Starbucks this season, I feel like the cups are really cute. I like the bows.
Leslie Johnston [00:00:24]:
Yeah, I could barely see yours.
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:26]:
I know. So this is why I'm mad. So I pre ordered these for us because I was like, I'm gonna run late. And I got Leslie a gingerbread chai, which I don't expect you to drink it, the whole thing, but actually, because I'm feeling tired. Well, you don't drink coffee, so I was like, chai is probably good. So Leslie's a gingerbread chai. And then I got a peppermint mocha. And then they came out with it, and I'm like, why did Leslie get.
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:48]:
I ordered us both talls. She got a tall. I got, like a pup cup, basically. And I don't like. This is what they put the whipped cream in.
Leslie Johnston [00:00:55]:
Pup cup is.
Morgan May Treuil [00:00:56]:
So what happen.
Leslie Johnston [00:00:58]:
Do you think you ordered, like a short? Is that what.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:01]:
Is that an option?
Leslie Johnston [00:01:02]:
I think there's like, a smaller version that a tall. But I didn't even know you could order that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:05]:
Okay, I'm checking the app right now.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:07]:
Or like, a kids. Is that a kid's size?
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:11]:
My gosh. I mean, like, how could I have done that? How? Because I ordered ours the same. Does it say, well, now I can't find my receipt. Gosh, this is just exhausting. Okay, whatever. It's not meant to be. So anyways, so I'm gonna drink two sips of this.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:27]:
You got a peppermint mocha?
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:28]:
I got a peppermint mocha, which I know is not a new Christmas drink, but for those. I've never tried one.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:34]:
You've never had a peppermint mocha?
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:36]:
No, because I'm like, always get pumpkin spice. Even when it's Christmas time, I get pumpkin spice.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:40]:
I didn't know that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:41]:
I also have a fear of, like, hot liquids burning my tongue.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:44]:
Oh, yeah. I think I'm more susceptible to getting burned by hot liquid.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:49]:
Because of your geographic tongue, Right?
Leslie Johnston [00:01:52]:
I mean, probably.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:53]:
Do the listeners know about your geographic.
Leslie Johnston [00:01:55]:
I don't know if they know about it, but now they do.
Morgan May Treuil [00:01:57]:
Please educate, because a lot of people, like, have no idea what that means for obvious reasons.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:01]:
Which is a good thing, probably. Well, I went to the dentist a couple years ago. Okay, wait, I want to hear your first impressions.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:10]:
Wow.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:11]:
Too sweet?
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:13]:
No, like, that's straight chocolate.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:16]:
Oh. Can you taste the peppermint?
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:19]:
Yeah. It's kind of like a thin mint. You know what it tastes like. You know those, those, those dark chocolate minty stars from Trader Joe's that we mowed through the other night? Yes. This tastes like the, like the melted down version of that.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:32]:
I. I love them. Like a peppermint hot chocolate.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:35]:
This is good.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:36]:
Peppermint mochas. Good.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:38]:
I'm actually glad that it's just this size though, because it is like straight chocolate to your veins. Okay.
Leslie Johnston [00:02:43]:
This one's the gingerbread chai. Okay. It's actually really good.
Morgan May Treuil [00:02:54]:
Does it taste like gingerbread?
Leslie Johnston [00:02:55]:
And I love that they can still put whipped cream and not do the dome lid. Nobody wants a dome.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:00]:
No one wants a dome. Also, you know what's funny?
Leslie Johnston [00:03:02]:
This is really good.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:03]:
That's pumpkin cold foam on top, which is what it comes with. That's like the deep.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:06]:
Okay, maybe. Oh, it even on gingerbread.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:09]:
That's what it said. Who knows if that's real? I don't know.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:14]:
I love this.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:15]:
It's good.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:15]:
This is really good.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:17]:
Tastes like Christmas.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:18]:
Like, I would get that again.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:19]:
Oh, my gosh. Well, maybe I should have gotten that.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:21]:
You want to try it?
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:22]:
No, I just want. I just know. I mean, cuz I now have this taste and I'm good with this, but I just like.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:26]:
Yeah, but I like really good.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:28]:
That looks really good.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:28]:
I wonder if people get peppermint chai. That might be kind of weird.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:33]:
Yeah. I wonder what.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:34]:
I feel like a chai is more like a.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:38]:
Warm, warm, earthy.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:40]:
You know, it is earthy. It's earthy, but I like that the pumpkin and the gingerbread offset the earthy.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:46]:
Do you like matcha?
Leslie Johnston [00:03:48]:
I wish I liked matcha.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:49]:
I don't like it either. I love the color.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:52]:
It's literally drinking.
Morgan May Treuil [00:03:52]:
But it's grass. It's earth. Yeah, it's just the earth.
Leslie Johnston [00:03:55]:
I think people. There's some people who love matcha because they are like those type of people that just like love their. They love. You know, maybe they feel grounded when they drink it. They feel so grounded and they genuinely love it. And I'm like, that is so awesome. I wish my palette was that expanded. Then I think there's people who are like, I love matcha, but they put like strawberry milk and all these things to cover up the matcha.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:19]:
You're like, you don't love matcha.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:20]:
I'm like, I love the colored green. You don't love matcha. You love strawberry milk. And then you put a little green in it to look cool.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:30]:
Wait, go back to your.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:31]:
Honestly, respect.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:32]:
Go back to your geographic tongue, because I'm curious.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:34]:
So I remember. I think I was in high school, and I asked Christy. I was like, hey, my twin sister. I'm like, hey, does your tongue look like this? And it had, like, all my. My tongue has all these, like, grooves in it, and, like, just weird. They look. Not in a gross way, but they look like there's, like, cuts and things.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:53]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:53]:
On my tongue.
Morgan May Treuil [00:04:54]:
Like a geographic map.
Leslie Johnston [00:04:56]:
Like, it looks like an imprint of a map on my tongue. And I was like, you know when you ask somebody, like, oh, does this ever happen to you? And you're like, of course they're gonna say yes. And she's like, that just never looked like that. Mine has never done that. And I was like, what the heck? So then I go to the dentist and just for, like, a regular checkup, and he's like, oh, my gosh, you have a geographic tongue. And I was like, what? What is that?
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:22]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:22]:
And he's like, oh, it's just this thing that you basically, like, kind of. It's not an allergy, but it's, like, a little bit of, like, an allergy to things that are citrus or, like, wine or things basically, that are high in acidity.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:35]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:36]:
And you have those things, and it makes, like, an imprint on your tongue that looks like a map.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:41]:
That's so crazy.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:42]:
And it's not harmful, but it doesn't hurt.
Morgan May Treuil [00:05:44]:
You never notice.
Leslie Johnston [00:05:47]:
I used to think, like, when I started drinking wine, I was like, this must be an acquired taste because it hurts. It hurts to drink. Like, it kind of stings. And I was like, this is why they say it's acquired. I'm like, no, it just actually hurts. For me, it's kind of like. It hurts. The acidity does.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:05]:
Sour candy.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:07]:
Oh, well, okay. Yet sometimes. Sometimes it's worse, and sometimes it's totally fine.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:12]:
You're like, I'm gonna power through a sour patch.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:14]:
I remember getting a bag of sour patch kids at the movies, and I burned my tongue, like. Like, got, like, a legit burn.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:21]:
Because you ate too many of them.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:23]:
I ate too many of them, and it was too sour.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:26]:
Oh, my gosh. I wonder if spice does that to your tongue, too. Like, can you eat spicy food?
Leslie Johnston [00:06:32]:
Yes. But, I mean, I think spicy fruit food kind of hurts everybody. Yeah, I did that. I did the. The game. The hot wings game. And I literally thought my Mouth was like. I actually turned to Brandon, my like co host, and I was like, is.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:47]:
Am I. Am I bleeding? I was like, it's my mouth bleeding. And he's like, no. Because it literally felt like that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:54]:
That's so.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:55]:
I think Hot Wings was especially bad.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:57]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:57]:
For me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:06:58]:
Yes. That's.
Leslie Johnston [00:06:59]:
I think it's bad for everybody, but it was really bad.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:01]:
So if you're listening to this and you have a geographic tongue or you didn't know what that was and now you just diagnosed yourself.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:07]:
Well, you know what's funny? So my. I think it might be a little hereditary. My mom has it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:11]:
Oh.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:12]:
And then my sister in law has it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:15]:
Which one? Kayla. Wait, that's weird.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:17]:
Also, she's fine with me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:18]:
Her medical history. There's like a HIPAA violation.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:23]:
She won't care. Wait, that's literally. I remember she and Scott. I think I brought it up. I was like, oh, my gosh, I have this. And she was like, wait, I have that too. And I'm like, it's like a super small population that has it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:34]:
That's weird.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:35]:
Yeah. Geographic tongue.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:36]:
And you're not. You're not even related?
Leslie Johnston [00:07:38]:
No.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:39]:
That's funny.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:40]:
Hope not.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:43]:
Then we have to ask a sibling question. My. My unpopular opinion for today.
Leslie Johnston [00:07:52]:
Great.
Morgan May Treuil [00:07:53]:
Was that I kind of think that the holiday drinks at Starbucks lack some creativity each year. But I kind of love. I mean, I kind of love this now that I've been sipping on it and I don't. Now I'm kind of like, I don't really think that they need it.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:12]:
You're pulling a gabe like he did last week. I know the opinion is that Christmas should wait. And he's like, actually, I don't care about that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:20]:
I. I actually did. I was, I was thinking about on the way over, I'm like, I really do feel like they lack. Like we could be doing all kinds of like, new flavors and new whatever. Like, we put more but more effort into the cup design than we do into the actual, like, flavors, the holiday flavors.
Leslie Johnston [00:08:35]:
What would you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:08:35]:
Then I tried it. I think it would be fun to mess around with like real, like at Thanksgiving, like, there should be a pecan pie, something. Oh, at Christmas. I feel like there should. Which I guess they have done this in the past, but I'm. I'm missing like the eggnog with a twist or like, like some more flavor profiles. Yeah, I think so. Or like, I don't know, like a gingerbread.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:01]:
Like, I want fusion. That's what I want. I want fusion. I Want a gingerbread mixed with like a, like a Mexican hot chocolate or something like that? I don't know. Like, I want. I want us to mix it up. But then now that I drink this, I'm like, they're kind of. I mean, clearly something's going right because the lime is out the door.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:16]:
So. You know what? Don't listen to me at all.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:20]:
I think the cups are really cute this year though. I love the cups and I like when they do the iced ones because I'm more of an iced person. And to me, they used to just do the bare minimum for iced. And this is actually doing it for me.
Morgan May Treuil [00:09:31]:
Do you, do you buy into the, like, each year's trending Christmas decor or are you like, I keep my decor the same every single year and I'm adding to it.
Leslie Johnston [00:09:43]:
This might be my unpopular opinion. I saw something the other day that was like, if you change up your Christmas decor every year, your kids are never going to have nostalgia of Christmas. And I was like, oh my gosh. I could not agree more. Like, my mom, now my mom's not like a big shopper. She does not care about like, oh, I have to have the trendy crisp. Like, she could literally care less. And what I love about that is I grew up with all of the same decor.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:13]:
And it was like our tree was just filled with ornaments of like, vacations and things we made at school. And like, it was every. I mean, it wasn't like tacky because it was like meaningful stuff.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:27]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:27]:
But it was like, that was our tree every year.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:29]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:30]:
And I remember every single year putting up those same ornaments. We had the same little train that went around our tree. I love that, all the decor. Like, I don't know if my mom has ever bought a piece of Christmas decor in the last 20 years.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:44]:
Right. Because she and I love accumulated a lot.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:46]:
Like, if. If she has bought something, we're like, what the heck is that?
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:50]:
Like, put that away.
Leslie Johnston [00:10:51]:
Put that away. And so I think has made Christmas very nostalgic for all of us.
Morgan May Treuil [00:10:57]:
I really agree with that. I think that that's the perfect way of putting it.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:01]:
If you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:02]:
I remember the trend where it was like the really bare, skinny space between the branches Christmas tree, which I feel like was not that far, cuz it was when I moved here that I was that like probably within the past five years. That was a trend.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:15]:
Yeah. I was like, what is, what is this?
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:19]:
Like, this doesn't even look like Christmas. I can't believe that this is a thing. Yeah. Now this year, the. The is Ralph Lauren Christmas, which I do think is a pretty timeless trend for sure. So I've bought a lot of. Which granted, we also just moved, so it's like, I think you're also.
Leslie Johnston [00:11:37]:
We're all young, and we're building our. We're building our Christmas, you know?
Morgan May Treuil [00:11:40]:
Yeah. Our Christmas arse. My Christmas toolbox, if you will. But, like, I feel like this is the year to buy if you're like, we're going to do like, the really classic basic Christmas, because Ralph Lauren Christmas goes with every year, basically. It's not like Sugar Plum Fairy Christmas. So the stuff that I've gotten.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:01]:
Christmas or like, white and tan Christmas.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:06]:
White and, like, beige Christmas.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:08]:
Beige Christmas. That's sad.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:11]:
Gosh. I mean, you can do a little.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:12]:
Bit, but, like, no. If everything is.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:15]:
Is every year going to be beige? Like, your kids are going to walk up to the Christmas tree and they're going to be touching beige ornaments. Their kids probably not allowed to touch the tree in beige households. That's probably true.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:25]:
No, that's very true. Did you have, like, a fancy tree growing up or did you have.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:30]:
We had a fake tree, which I like.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:33]:
Okay. It.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:33]:
It was just, like, not something we, like. I didn't. My. The first time that I ever shopped for a real tree was with you guys for Sweeney. That was my first, like, real tree experience. And I love it. I can totally see why that's fun. And my parents, at least my mom, they shopped for real trees when they were growing up.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:51]:
But then for us, it was like. I think my mom liked the idea of putting it up early. Like, we were early Christmas people.
Leslie Johnston [00:12:58]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:12:58]:
Soaking up Christmas season for November and December. So it was, like, not fun to wait. We had a tree. We put it up. It was the it. To me, it was, like, similar to what you all are describing for your tree. It was like childhood ornaments and trips and, like, all the nostalgic stuff. And then the three of us each had ornaments that we really wanted to put up, you know, that were like, hours or ones that we liked.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:19]:
And we fight over placement of things and.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:21]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:22]:
And then my mom would come behind us, and sometimes she would rearrange some things if she was like, why is this one of the friend. And then we were a big colored lights family.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:31]:
Okay. Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:32]:
Which Benji is the opposite of that. He's like, we are white lights family.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:38]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:39]:
I'm like, well, this is not magical.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:42]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:43]:
Did y' all do white or colored lights?
Leslie Johnston [00:13:44]:
We would switch off.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:46]:
Like, you have Lights that switch.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:48]:
No, it was like, one year we would do colored lights. The next year we do white lights.
Morgan May Treuil [00:13:54]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:13:54]:
But for probably my, like, young elementary years, we were always colored lights. Which to me, that, like, brings so much, like, nostalgia.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:02]:
That's Christmas. That's like laying under your tree and looking at the colored Christmas lights and being like, this is so magical.
Leslie Johnston [00:14:08]:
Yeah. I do think white is magical too, though. Like, I think I can see now it's like a classier version of magic.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:16]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:14:16]:
And sometimes the colored lights, I'm like, okay. Yeah. It can. There is a fine line of, like, some Christmas. It can be nostalgic and still have colorful lights and all that. And then I do think there's a step too far where you're like, this is now turned into like, weird vintage. Not vintage is not bad, but like, weird, like secondhand store vibes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:14:39]:
Yeah. Yeah. There's a fine line between, like, fun, playful, eclectic and. Yes. And whatever that is where you're like, there, like a lot of this is a. This is an estate sale gone wrong, right? Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:14:52]:
Christmas can feel like an estate sale. And you don't. I personally don't want that, but I. That's why I feel like I want to invest. I'm realizing more and more I'm like, oh, I. I need to be like, buying decor every year that I could see myself keeping forever.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:06]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:06]:
So like those cute little Christmas homes where you put the light inside. Like, I want to invest in a collection of those.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:13]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:14]:
Instead of just going to Target and buying whatever. Like the newest hearth in hand.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:18]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:19]:
Thing is, but I also get that some people, if they grew up with a fancy Christmas, I didn't.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:25]:
But that's play.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:26]:
Maybe that's nostalgic to them. Like, I think of some of even our friends, it's like, like, even Rosie, she was showing me her Christmas decor and I'm like, this is so beautiful. I love, like, this actually beautiful.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:36]:
But she probably grew up that way.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:37]:
But she probably grew up with beautiful ornaments. So I'm like, that would be nostalgic to you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:41]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:42]:
Where she probably would look at some of the ones on my. On our train. And it's like, wait, what?
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:46]:
But do you do this thing where you put, like dog friendly ornaments in the bottom? For Ryder.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:54]:
I wouldn't put something that is soft because he will grab it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:15:58]:
And it would probably pull a treat.
Leslie Johnston [00:15:59]:
And he'll pull the tree.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:00]:
We used to, which I guess we just didn't have the kind of dogs that would like, that would. That would pull off, but like. Like pull off ornaments from the tree. But that was the thing. We, like, put all the dog friendly.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:11]:
That's funny.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:12]:
Ornaments. So it's like, I love that poultry bottom is like, like a plush animal situation, basically, which.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:22]:
So cute.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:23]:
So funny.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:24]:
I gotta try that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:25]:
I also. This is. This is an iconic May Christmas thing. But we had a huge Santa. Oh, yeah. That would sit out in the front yard. My parents would put a spotlight on him, and he would talk all day long. Like, he had a couple phrases that he would say over and over again.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:44]:
Songs that he would sing. All on a timer.
Leslie Johnston [00:16:46]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:16:47]:
And part of, like, my core Christmas memory is being in my bed at. Being in my bed at night and then hearing Santa outside echoing through the neighborhood saying, have a great holiday season. And it was like he waved his hands. He was creepy looking. Not. He was not. He was like. Like creepy in the sense that he looked like plastic Santa.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:06]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:06]:
But not creepy in the sense that he looked like Santa. Like, it wasn't like a weird Santa. And I'm like, that's funny that we did that. Like, the outdoor decor was. Was something that was like a priority.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:17]:
I love that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:18]:
And now I'm like, I could care less about outdoor.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:20]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:21]:
Like, I don't even have outdoor stuff. All I have is indoor stuff. Cause I'm like, I'm just gonna be inside.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:25]:
Maybe when Waylon's here, you'll be like, oh, I'm gonna do the outdoor stuff. Because he thinks it's so magical.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:32]:
I'm curious how much will change when you have a kid.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:33]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:34]:
Like, how much of your. Your Christmas vibes will change. I'm curious how much I will change as a person, honestly. Because I'm just like, I don't know. I feel like it's already changing me a little bit. Like, I feel like I'm having to mellow out a lot. But yeah, at Christmas, it'd be fun to have a kid. To have a kid who cares about stuff.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:51]:
Like, a kid who's like, I want to do color. Like, I wonder if Benji can say no. Color light.
Leslie Johnston [00:17:55]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:17:56]:
The baby's like, I want colored light. Like, he could say it on me easily, but I'm like, does he say no to the kid? I don't know.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:03]:
You're like, hey, tell your dad.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:05]:
Tell your dad. That's gonna be a bad strategy that I employ.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:08]:
That's funny. I love that. Okay, well, thanks.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:12]:
It's Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:14]:
I know. I love that people are like, what the heck? But some, I think most of our listeners are like, pro Christmas type people.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:19]:
Oh, yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:21]:
So it's Thanksgiving week. I just said Thanksgiving, like you did Thanksgiving. It's Thanksgiving week.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:27]:
Today's Monday, so you've got Tuesday, Wednesday. So you've got two days till Thanksgiving.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:32]:
That's right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:32]:
If you're listening to this on time, which you might not be. Yeah, hopefully you do, because we're going to talk about things that are for Thanksgiving, but this is.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:42]:
You can be grateful all year round. So.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:44]:
Yeah. What's something that you. We're just. We're actually. We. We. We got here and we were talking about all the things that pissed us off, actually. Like, the stuff that just makes you not grateful.
Morgan May Treuil [00:18:55]:
Like, when something doesn't work, that always works. You were talking about your car.
Leslie Johnston [00:18:58]:
I was driving here and this morning, we. We're shooting this podcast kind of early. So if we're looking tighter, that's why.
Morgan May Treuil [00:19:04]:
We'Re tight in the face. It's because we are.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:06]:
Um, but I had. I had had a great morning. It was a little rushed, but I was like, I'm gonna sit down. We're talking about, you know, gratefulness on the podcast, so I'm gonna do a little, like, reading on it. And I was like, this is, like, what I thought about. And what I had looked up was so good. And then I get in my car and the line is, like, out. Like, there's cars everywhere.
Leslie Johnston [00:19:29]:
The line to even get to work was so long. And then my, like, phone wasn't connecting to my car. I had left a voicemail where I'm, like, yelling at the car in front of me because I didn't know that I was, like, on voicemail. So I walked in and I was like, morgan, I know we're doing episode on gratefulness, but, like, I'm. I'm not feeling super grateful.
Morgan May Treuil [00:19:51]:
No, I totally get it. I actually was up most of the night last night because I just, like, I've got, like, little insomnia things right now.
Leslie Johnston [00:20:00]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:20:00]:
And then I also have a. There's a hair in my sock that's wrapped around one of my toes, and I'm like, my foot's my. But my shoe's already on. And so you're. You just know, like, all apparently gonna piss me. Yeah, it's my. It's my ring toe on my right side, and it's gonna piss me off.
Leslie Johnston [00:20:15]:
All your ring toe?
Morgan May Treuil [00:20:16]:
Well, it's like, it's the one. Just. Just the pinky, but there's a hair wrapped around it, and it's funny. That this is happening because last night while I was insomnia scrolling, um, all of my TikToks right now are like mom scare tactics. Basically like, don't let your kid do this there, it's gonna die. And one of the things that you're supposed to watch for is hairs that get stuck on your kids fingers or toes because they can get really tight and I don't know, like cut off, cut off its finger or something. I'm like, isn't that crazy? So anyways, it's funny that that's happening to my toe. But yeah, I feel like that's actually funny that we came not, not like in the gratitude spirit today because I think that that's kind of part of the point for sure of the gratitude thing is that it's a practice you do when you don't feel like it specifically.
Leslie Johnston [00:21:10]:
Yep.
Morgan May Treuil [00:21:10]:
And that it is good for you as a practice, not just like a welling up feeling. I'll start us with this thought. And I actually put this on our Instagram stories the other day because I was, I was reading a book, I'm reading a book right now by John Piper called Desiring God and he was quoting C. S Lewis in the book, but basically saying that your delight in something isn't complete until it's expressed. So like I can love this peppermint mocha drink from Starbucks, I can love it. But the fullness of how much I love it and how much I'm appreciating it and enjoying it is not completed until I like talk about it. You know, like, you know when someone loves something because they talk about it.
Leslie Johnston [00:21:56]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:21:57]:
And he was arguing that that's kind of part of the human enjoyment experience is like if you just enjoy something silently and secretly, then it's not full enjoyment. It has to be expressed in praise or in gratitude or whatever. And so it got me thinking that if that's part of the gratitude experience, then it's not something that you have. It's not something that you can just wait to happen naturally. It's something that you have to choose to do. And so I was saying on our Instagram stories that it, it convicted me because I go through seasons where I don't feel as appreciative or thankful for God. I go pretty like about my business, like go through my day kind of autopilot and don't feel a lot of like tender excited feelings about God.
Leslie Johnston [00:22:46]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:22:47]:
And then get worried about why I don't feel those things. Right. Like, you know that panic feeling where you're like, I don't really.
Leslie Johnston [00:22:53]:
Like, I don't want to do this. Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:22:55]:
I don't want to read my Bible. I don't want to show up to.
Leslie Johnston [00:22:57]:
Church when the feelings aren't there.
Morgan May Treuil [00:22:58]:
The feelings aren't there and you're like, shoot. Like, I know that the gate is narrow and this does not feel like narrow behavior, but the, the encouragement being like. But when you choose to praise and choose to practice gratitude, that's almost like the completion of your enjoyment of something and then it helps you enjoy it more. Like we're both in relationships. I don't know if you feel this way, but like, when I speak positively about my significant other, it actually makes me like them more. Yes. Than when I'm like not talking about them or saying something negative about them. Right.
Leslie Johnston [00:23:33]:
No, that's so true.
Morgan May Treuil [00:23:34]:
And so kind of like the start of the conversation, I feel like for gratitude is that it might not be something that's just going to bubble up or well, up in you. Might be something that you have to choose to do and then the effects of it happen after you do it, not before you do it.
Leslie Johnston [00:23:48]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:23:49]:
If that makes sense.
Leslie Johnston [00:23:50]:
I heard a video even I think it was just yesterday, and she was like, let me give you. So hopefully someone's like, oh, I saw that video too. It was on Tick Tock and it was like, let me give you two minutes of therapy that you. That will help you for whatever. I don't know, she was saying like 10 years or something. But she's like, what you end up, what you talk about and what you communicate really does affect your brain. So, like, if you need to vent all the time or talk negatively about something, she's like, your brain is going to latch onto that because whatever you feed it, it will basically cycle more and more. So if you like, it's actually not helpful for you to be like, well, this is annoying me.
Leslie Johnston [00:24:33]:
Which I did this morning. But I was like, this is annoying me. This happened. This happened. She's like, we're in such a culture where it's like, no, I have to say it. I have to say it out loud. And she's like, that's actually feeding your mind negative thoughts. You actually need to like, start forcing yourself to think positively about things.
Morgan May Treuil [00:24:48]:
Right.
Leslie Johnston [00:24:49]:
And positive about people. Because then your brain goes, oh, that's what we're doing. And it'll continue to do that more and more. And so it's an interesting thought to go, maybe before we go into like, oh, gosh, what am I gonna say at the table for Thanksgiving for. What I'm grateful for is, like, do we need to tackle some of the negativity that we've been cycling in our minds over and over?
Morgan May Treuil [00:25:12]:
That's really funny because, you know with the scripture that says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
Leslie Johnston [00:25:16]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:25:17]:
So your tendency is to think, well, whatever's like in me wells up in me, and then I have to vent in order to, like, get it out of me.
Leslie Johnston [00:25:26]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:25:26]:
But I wonder if we're missing something where it's like, yes, that's true. Out of the overflow of the heart, your mouth speaks. But I wonder if, since we're meant to take every thought captive and obey it to Christ, I wonder if you're actually supposed to, like, change the narrative somewhere between what you feel and what you're saying. Now, that's not to say that you shouldn't be, like, honest about what you're feeling or that you shouldn't have honest conversations with people because there's value to that. But if you're like a negative spewer versus a gratitude person, then maybe you're missing out on one of the, like, key things that will change how you think. Yes. Is the. Whatever the.
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:03]:
The middle ground processing is between global foundries. Someone's calling me twice. Whatever. The middle, like, the middle process piece is between, like, feeling something that is negative, taking the thought captive, obeying it to Christ, and then in your public speech, changing to. To say what's true.
Leslie Johnston [00:26:22]:
Yes. Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:23]:
And that's part of maybe what gratitude is. Is like. It's kind of like what we were talking about yesterday in that room with those guys. We're talking about sermon stuff. Right. And the, The. The first idea we were talking about where it's like, we tend to focus on, like, what isn't. But what if God's desire is that we would focus on what could be and ask that question instead?
Leslie Johnston [00:26:45]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:45]:
And it feels like anti. Gratitude is focusing on what isn't. Like, here's all the things that I lack.
Leslie Johnston [00:26:51]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:51]:
And then gratitude is like, what could be or what could God or what? You know, like, that's like the change of.
Leslie Johnston [00:26:58]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:26:59]:
Mindset a little bit.
Leslie Johnston [00:26:59]:
What could it be? I like that because I think it's not about. To me, gratefulness is not false positivity. It's not like, wow, I just love that I lost my job, or I love that I'm not at this place in my life, or I just, you know, I'm so grateful that I, you Know, can't. I'm walking through infertility. Like those things are not things that I think God is even expecting us to be. Like, oh, this is so easy. I should just never talk about it. I think though, maybe how you talk about it, like taking every thought captive and going, okay, but if I eventually don't want to be stuck in this negative rut, how can I start thinking about this in a way that adds some level of like, yeah, what could be.
Leslie Johnston [00:27:42]:
Or where's like maybe the side of this that like I can start focusing on that's maybe is somewhat of a positive?
Morgan May Treuil [00:27:51]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:27:52]:
Cuz I just think it's powerful like what you feed your mind. It was interesting. I was reading through some verses this morning about gratefulness and I was like, I asked, I asked ChatGPT because sometimes it's helpful, I think opening up your own Bible, reading that straight from it is. ChatGPT doesn't replace that. But what I have found is that when I have questions about certain verses, it's actually very helpful because you can be like, wait, tell me why they use this word and it will give you like a whole thing. It's awesome. So I was reading the verse in Hebrews 13:15 where it said, like, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. And I was like, why would it say sacrifice of praise? And then obviously it talks about like in the Bible, like back in the day, people actually did have to like sacrifice something to God, whether it was like an animal or some sort of sacrifice, which thankfully don't have to do that these days.
Leslie Johnston [00:28:50]:
But I was like, why would they use that now? But it was like in Hebrews, so they weren't like. But they said like back in the day, obviously it was like, oh, animals, food, all the stuff you had to like give to God. And now it's like, well, now your, your praise is a sacrifice, even though you're not giving up something physical. But it talked about how like your praise and like your gratitude to God actually does. You're giving up pride, you're giving up control, you're giving up fear. Like you're giving up comfort to go and you're giving up the right to complain because you're like, okay, I'm actually gonna offer this up even if I don't feel it. Like I'm going to be grateful and give praise to God and that the actually costs you something.
Morgan May Treuil [00:29:39]:
Wow.
Leslie Johnston [00:29:40]:
And I was like thinking about it and I was like, well, I wonder if God, like, since God is like. Because earlier it talks in that passage about, it's kind of like praising when you don't. Kind of like when you don't feel like it or when things are hard. So it wasn't just saying, like, oh, praise from, like, a great spot. It was praise from even when things are hard.
Morgan May Treuil [00:30:02]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:30:02]:
And what I. So then I asked, I was like, so does praising, like, when you don't feel like it, is the reward greater? Like, why would it say that this is like a sacrifice and you should do it as a sacrifice.
Morgan May Treuil [00:30:14]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:30:15]:
And it was. It basically was like, well, obviously it's not like, oh, well, you're going to get some reward. But it does talk about how, like, the spiritual blessing is deeper when you praise out of not just already being happy about something, but about being like, this is actually going against what I think. So this is actually a sacrifice to do this.
Morgan May Treuil [00:30:37]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:30:38]:
And that, like, in Psalm, it talks about, like, the Lord is near, near to the brokenhearted. And so I just think it's cool to think about, like, going into Thanksgiving going. Even if you are in a spot where you're like, there's a lot that I'm not grateful for. That's like, think about it like a sacrifice. Like, we're so. I feel like, naturally against doing anything that feels like it goes against how we're actually feeling.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:04]:
Right.
Leslie Johnston [00:31:04]:
But it's like, I think God's going, no, I actually want you to do that. Like, even if you don't feel it, even if there are things in your life that you're like, this is not going well. Like, I. I don't have a reason to be grateful, even though you do. But to go, maybe I'm gonna do this out of obedience. And God has promised that if you do that, he will be even nearer to you than, like, for the person that's, you know, in a great spot. And they're just like, oh, it's easy to praise God today. I just think God has promised that he will be even closer to you in that way.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:38]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:31:39]:
If you choose to do that, even if your feelings don't go along with it.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:41]:
This is so good. I actually feel kind of mind blown by this. I've never made this.
Leslie Johnston [00:31:45]:
I was like, whoa, I did not know that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:47]:
This is so good. Well, it kind of makes sense. Sense, though. Right. Because gratitude is something much deeper than gratitude and Thanksgiving. Go. Go much deeper than just, like, good feelings. Right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:31:58]:
I just think that there's. There's something. Because it's spiritual practice. We're commanded to do it. Right. And so I feel like. I mean, like, there's the. The scripture within with the scripture in Philippians about anxiety.
Morgan May Treuil [00:32:11]:
It's like something about. With all prayers and don't be anxious about anything, but in everything with prayers and petitions, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. So there's this assumption that, like, you're meant to practice thanksgiving in a period of anxiety, which doesn't make a lot of sense because you're like. And then you think about David and all the psalms that he wrote in the caves and on the run for his life. And lots of those psalms were written with thanksgiving as kind of the forefront of what he was saying. Not that he wasn't also crying out to God and complaining and, you know, like, being like, God, help me. But, yeah, it seems like there's, like, a biblical context for, like, well, gratitude and thanksgiving go hand in hand or in the same situation as fear, anxiety, depression, hardship, suffering. And it feels like maybe we've missed.
Morgan May Treuil [00:33:09]:
Like, I feel like I've met you saying that. I'm like, man, I really have. I really do equate gratitude and Thanksgiving with, like, good feelings and good times.
Leslie Johnston [00:33:19]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:33:20]:
And I equate suffering with, like, dark night of the soul lamenting. But I don't know if that is the right, like, comparison or correlation to make. It feels like gratitude is meant to come from a place of suffering. And part of what gratitude does is it helps you to see a picture or a perspective.
Leslie Johnston [00:33:43]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:33:43]:
That you haven't seen. So, like, one of the examples you used was just, like, not being satisfied in your season. Right. Like, you get to Thanksgiving Day and you look around your table, and everyone's got these cool things that are happening in their lives, and you don't have the thing. Maybe you're actually really dissatisfied in your job. You're dissatisfied in your relationship status. You're dissatisfied in any number of things, and you hoped you would be somewhere different by this time, you know, last year or whatever.
Leslie Johnston [00:34:10]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:34:11]:
And maybe gratitude is not the dishonesty of saying, like.
Leslie Johnston [00:34:17]:
Maybe.
Morgan May Treuil [00:34:17]:
Maybe gratitude is not the dishonesty of being like, all right, well, I'm gonna find something, like, really trivial and small to, like, hold on to because everyone else has got good stuff and I don't have anything. Maybe gratitude is like, no, from. From the pits of this. I'm going to see a greater perspective of what God might be doing with my suffering. Yeah. And I'm going to make A sacrifice of praise to God in it. Knowing that I don't feel like all the warm fuzzies about this season that I'm going through, but believing that God works all things for good, for those who love him. So it's like, I kind of love that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:34:55]:
It's like a, it's a huge perspective shift that's meant to go with whatever your pit season is. It's not, it's maybe not meant to like, be with the peaks. I mean, maybe it is, but. Yeah, I don't know. Like that, that kind of blows my mind because I've had years, for sure holiday years where I've gotten there and I'm like, I don't really have much to be grateful for and I feel kind of bitter about it.
Leslie Johnston [00:35:17]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:35:18]:
And that was the end of the thought.
Leslie Johnston [00:35:20]:
Totally. And I think what I've realized a lot in this past year is the power of like the Holy Spirit. And I think that. And not to get like too woo hoo about it, but it's like I, I have watched that they call it like the refreshing of the Holy Spirit. And I had somebody, they like prayed over me earlier that year for that. And I was like, I wonder why they said that. Like, that's such an interesting phrase. But I've learned that, like, when you walk down the roads that God is asking you, is asking you to walk down.
Leslie Johnston [00:35:57]:
But also, even if things are hard or situations in your life aren't going the way that you thought they would, I think there's an angle there where God's like, you have two options to walk down this. You can either walk down in negativity or choose bitterness, or you can walk down the exact same road and be like, God, I need you to help me be thankful. I think a lot of times we try to muster up these feelings or muster up the positivity or muster up like, okay, if I just think hard enough to be positive, it's like some of that just doesn't work. Like, maybe it will sometimes and it's not a bad thing to try. But I think if you go, God, I need, I need feelings from you to feel grateful, to feel excited about this, to feel joy even in the midst of like a hardship. And I just think God does come through in those areas. Like, I think if you walk down your same road of whatever you're on and go, God, I need your help, like with the Holy Spirit to, to actually feel like I'm walking to Thanksgiving week and I am grateful, or I am like, take your Scenario. And it's like, God, I.
Leslie Johnston [00:37:10]:
I need you to refresh my spirit in a way so that I'm not just in this rut.
Morgan May Treuil [00:37:16]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:37:16]:
And I've watched time and time again where, like, I feel like the Holy Spirit does that. It's like all of a sudden, the next day you're like, wait, not that everything's perfect and not that you go through these ebbs and flows, because I just think that's life with God. But I've watched as times where I'm like, okay, my situation has not changed, but for some reason I have this lightness in my spirit about it. And I think we don't tap into that so good. And it's like all. I think I honest, I kind of believe, like, all good, all good things come from God. And I think even feelings. And all of those things, I think we.
Leslie Johnston [00:37:53]:
If you're not feeling grateful, I think there's some action steps of, like, are you. Are you taking time? Are you taking every thought captive? Are you. Even if it's as something as small as, like first thing in the morning getting on your phone and writing like a list of the ways that God has come through for you or the things that you maybe prayed for in the past that you have now, or just getting your mind on a thankful spirit and then asking God, like, God, I need your help this week or I need your help today to go, how do I think better about these things? Or show me things that I can be grateful for? I just think God sometimes is waiting for us to ask for his help in those things.
Morgan May Treuil [00:38:38]:
Doesn't he say too, that he's willing to give wisdom to anybody who asks for it? Right. And I think that's. That's one of the prayers that God's always down to answer with a yes. Like, there are some things that you pray to God for, and God doesn't give them to you because they're actually not good for you. But wisdom is one of those things that's always good for you. And when you pray for it, God gives it to you if you're actually asking for wisdom.
Leslie Johnston [00:39:01]:
Right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:39:01]:
And I think the wisdom piece and the gratitude piece probably go hand in hand because when you're asking for wisdom, you're asking to see things with God vision.
Leslie Johnston [00:39:11]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:39:11]:
Or with Holy Spirit intervention, not just your. That's like a default setting. Yeah. And it reminds me of, like, you know, it reminds me of why travel can be so relaxing. Like plane travel, if you don't have flight anxiety. It, like the. The feeling of leaving your hectic life and then going through a hectic airport, but, like, having all your stuff kind of, like packed up into a thing and getting through security. And so all the stresses are kind of done.
Morgan May Treuil [00:39:44]:
You get on this plane and if you're in the window seat, you get to, like, take off, and all of a sudden the world just, like, looks really different. You're kind of like you're bare bones in your seat with just the stuff that you need. Your stuff's packed away under the plane or above you, and then you're looking out the window. And as you're flying, everything looks smaller, but it also looks like you can see lots of big picture at the same time. Like, there's something really relaxing about seeing all the road systems and how they work together and all the backyards and which backyards have pools and, you know, like, where neighborhoods are residential areas and then where, like, business parks are, you just see things from this, like, bird's eye view, and it puts everything into perspective. And for a second, you're able to distance yourself from, like, the boots on the ground stuff and you're able to get height. And height is. Or wisdom, I would say, spiritually is something that helps with the gratitude part of life because it helps you to see how something can still be good for you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:40:45]:
Even if it's hard.
Leslie Johnston [00:40:46]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:40:47]:
Or how God might be working out all things.
Leslie Johnston [00:40:49]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:40:51]:
Even if it's hard. And this is such a. This is such a, like a. A small example. And I, I can't speak to this in a. In a full experience way because I haven't had this experience, but knowing somebody who struggles with, who is struggling with infertility, somebody told them in their infertility journey, they were like, have you ever thought about the idea that maybe the, the very timing of this baby that God will give you if God what? Whether the baby is given to you biologically or given to you in adoption, have you ever thought about the fact that the timing of this baby is actually so specific and important to God, that the people. That this baby is going to grow up around the time in life, this baby is going to grow up around. Maybe this baby becomes the president and has to run in a very specific year? Like, obviously that's silly, but it's like.
Leslie Johnston [00:41:47]:
No, it's true.
Morgan May Treuil [00:41:48]:
You're thinking about it and you're like, oh, it's like. It's actually the, the, the. The like pregnancy or adoption experience. The idea of, like, becoming a parent, we, we. We tend to, like, focus. This was the advice they were given. I'm not saying that I, I claim this or that I know what this feels like because I know that infertility is so hard, but it was an interesting perspective of like, oh, okay. Like I can even look at this experience of loss that I'm having of like not being able to have a child in the timeline that I thought and see like a God sized wisdom bird's eye view of like, well, what if the timing of this baby is actually also really important to God and, and it requires waiting for the child, not just for you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:42:31]:
And it's like that sort of perspective shift is possible in all areas of suffering and loss in this life if you're willing to ask for it and if you're willing to practice gratitude out of a place of sacrifice. And I think part of the sacrifice is God. I'm sacrificing my, like thought about what this, what this should be and I'm surrendering to you what this. Yeah, well, and I'm choosing to see that it's good because it's yours. Right. Like, I think that's part of the sacrifice. Yes. And that feels like a sacrifice because you're laying down your own thing or your own feelings about it.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:06]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:43:06]:
And you're picking up gods.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:08]:
I love that. It's like getting a sort of a bird's eye view. It's almost like a God's view of your situation in your life because you're right. There's so much more that we don't see.
Morgan May Treuil [00:43:18]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:19]:
And so to be grateful that we have a God that sees it all and chooses what is actually best.
Morgan May Treuil [00:43:27]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:27]:
Is something to be grateful for.
Morgan May Treuil [00:43:29]:
Yeah, 100%.
Leslie Johnston [00:43:32]:
I think the last thing that I was thinking about was that God doesn't need. I think a lot of times when I think of being grateful or like praising God, I'm like, oh, it's cause God needs this. Like God needs me to praise him, to praise him. And I think God's like, I don't need that. You need this. You know, like, like he knows that we are so, like we just obsess over things and we get in these ruts and I think sometimes he goes like, turn your eyes towards me and actually look to me and, and give me praise because it's good for you. Like your life, your life will change. Like your mindset will change and this will be so much better for you.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:17]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:44:18]:
I think sometimes we go, okay, God, I'll praise you because you want it. But it's like I actually. And yes, he does love that. But I think he loves it because he knows that it changes us.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:27]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:44:27]:
And so I think, to me, that's a good reminder to go into Thanksgiving of, like, I'm not. Like, I'm not taking from this episode to like, oh, I need to be grateful. Because God wants it. God wants it so bad. But it's like, no. He knows that we need that for ourselves.
Morgan May Treuil [00:44:42]:
Yeah. That's really good. So it reminds me, I was. I was reading this in the same book, actually, talking about the human issue with God needing praise. Like, some of the skeptics are like, why does God need us? Like, this just feels very. Pick me. Basically, like, the book didn't say it, but it's like, that's funny. Why does God need us?
Leslie Johnston [00:45:01]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:45:02]:
Because. And I think the reason why we struggle with that thought, that God wants us to praise him is because we don't like people who want us to praise them. Right. Like, you don't like people that think so highly of themselves that they're like, all right, like, praise me and compliment me and give me all my words of affirmation, because they're full of themselves. So everyone's like, is God like. Not everyone. But the people that struggle with this are like, is God full of himself because he needs our praise.
Leslie Johnston [00:45:28]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:45:28]:
And the book was talking about how we can't apply the human understanding of, like, a person to God because human beings have flaws and.
Leslie Johnston [00:45:40]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:45:40]:
Pride. And they're not. We're not capable of everything. But God knows who he is. Yeah. And he knows what he is to us. And his being is so supernatural that it's equally, like, kind of understandable to us, but in a bigger way, it's, like, not understandable to us. And so with that, it's like, you're right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:06]:
God knows that in Himself is complete and total perfection. In him is the satisfying to our every longing. In him is, like, great. The greatest joy and the greatest satisfaction.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:20]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:20]:
And he knows that he's the answer because he's our creator, but also because he. He upholds the world. So it's like he knows that praising him is not like, something that's frivolous or just like, I'm basking in the praise of my people. It's like, no. Like, it's. It's actually really good for us. And it's the solution to a lot of our things. And he wants us to know that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:45]:
That he is the thing in this life that is worth praising. Because when we were praising him and not praising Other things.
Leslie Johnston [00:46:51]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:46:52]:
That's what actually keeps us safe and close and having, like, the fullness of life's experience. So it's not that God's full of himself or, like, is grasping at your praise. It's that he knows what he is in a way that we don't fully comprehend. And it's very inhuman. Like, yeah. You can't compare it to this egotistical guy who's like, tell me I'm awesome. Because that's like. That's not.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:17]:
That's not what it is. It's something totally different. But it's funny because I think a lot of people actually, like, struggle with that. That. With that thought that God needs that. And it's not. You said it so well. It's actually more about you.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:29]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:31]:
And you knowing who you need than God needing, like, frivolous praise from you.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:36]:
Yeah. It's like, we praise ourselves so much, but instead it's like, no, we need to put God in that seat for us to work.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:44]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:44]:
In our minds. Well, you know.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:46]:
Yes.
Leslie Johnston [00:47:46]:
I love that.
Morgan May Treuil [00:47:48]:
Yeah. The other thing, too is like. And this is very simple, but it's like when. When it comes to gratitude, a huge part of. And they say this scientifically. I wish we had, like, a doctor who could come on and talk about this if Dr. Ahmed ever wants to grace us with his presence or whoever. But there is actual chemistry and science in your brain that supports the idea.
Morgan May Treuil [00:48:08]:
When you're practicing gratitude, it is really hard to remain anxious.
Leslie Johnston [00:48:13]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:48:14]:
And so when I've been in counseling for anxiety and different things for panic disorder and stuff like that, it's like one of the things they tell you to do if it's a Christian counselor, they've told me, you know, like. Yeah, like recite the psalms or sing praise songs or just start rehearsing things that you're grateful for.
Leslie Johnston [00:48:31]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:48:31]:
And it's not that that's like, the solution to anxiety. It's that it's really hard for your brain to do both of those things at the same time because it's firing on different sides. But then, like, for a non Christian, they've also said similar things, just not like. Like in the Christian, like, lens of things. So it's like sing a song or, you know, like, make a. Make a gratitude list, like, what's going well in life. And it's like they're not talking about it from the spiritual perspective, but they know that there's something still is true about it, that there's like a science spirit connection in your brain that when you're able to practice gratitude on something, it actually fights against anxiety and depression and those kinds of things. So it's actually a great weapon that people probably are not utilizing.
Leslie Johnston [00:49:15]:
It is such a weapon. Yeah, I love that. That's really practical. I think that's a really practical thing.
Morgan May Treuil [00:49:20]:
Yeah.
Leslie Johnston [00:49:21]:
Like if you're going into this week of Thanksgiving and whether you feel grateful for a bunch of things, it's like, hey, lean into that. Like, lean into that for sure. Because I think the enemy is going to want to find little things, especially during times when you're with family or times when you're not with family and maybe you're with your significant other's family or things like that. I think the enemy will go, oh, you shouldn't be grateful because this, this or this, or you might lose it all, or you might, you know, there's just things that I think if you're already in the grateful spirit, I think there's going to be attacks at you. And then if you're not, I think there's ways that you can get more into that. And so we hope this episode helped you guys.
Morgan May Treuil [00:50:03]:
I know, it helped me for sure.
Leslie Johnston [00:50:06]:
I know, Me too. This was really good. I'm really glad we did this.
Morgan May Treuil [00:50:09]:
I think one other practical thing I would do and I'm just gonna do this for myself and this is not like a toxic positivity thing because I don't believe in that. Like I, to. I want to be honest about, like, where is that coming from?
Leslie Johnston [00:50:19]:
I know.
Morgan May Treuil [00:50:20]:
Because I want to be honest about what sucks. But I think maybe there's like a, like a, like a final boss level to the, to the gratitude thing where it's like you, you sit down for like 20 minutes, don't make it too long because you can get sucked in and that can be bad. But 20 minutes where you sit with God and you go to the hardest thing about this year. Like the stuff like the thing that like kind of guts you.
Leslie Johnston [00:50:43]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:50:44]:
Maybe it's a thing that happened or maybe it's like an overarching dream that God didn't fulfill or just like an unmet desire or something. Whatever the hardest thing about this year was. And I wonder if you sit with God and like 10 minutes of the time is honesty about your, like your real struggle, your discontentment with it. And like getting with God and being honest with him about it. And then I wonder if the other 10 minutes is okay. God, I, I want to see God sized vision for how I can practice gratitude even in this thing.
Leslie Johnston [00:51:15]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:51:15]:
And that doesn't mean that the thing you're suffering through is in any way good, because it could all just be bad. But if what the enemy means for evil, God means it for good, that means that there's redemption possibilities in all things, even the bad things.
Leslie Johnston [00:51:31]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:51:31]:
And so I wonder if the last 10 minutes, you could challenge yourself of like, hey, now I'm going to sit with you, God, and I want. I want you to show me how I can actually be grateful for something or maybe even this experience that's good as I'm sitting in it.
Leslie Johnston [00:51:46]:
Yeah.
Morgan May Treuil [00:51:46]:
And that's not the thing you have to share at the Thanksgiving table. It's more so just a human God thing. It can be between you and God.
Leslie Johnston [00:51:52]:
Yes.
Morgan May Treuil [00:51:52]:
That's like. That could be something cool to do, too. I might try that.
Leslie Johnston [00:51:54]:
That's good. I love that. Well, happy Thanksgiving.
Morgan May Treuil [00:52:00]:
Thanksgiving, everyone.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:00]:
So one and to all, Come one.
Morgan May Treuil [00:52:03]:
Come all, or to one and to all. Oh, well, you guys, next week.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:07]:
That's right.
Morgan May Treuil [00:52:08]:
Christmas or.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:09]:
Even though this was like half a Christmas episode, we're ready to go. Full in for Christmas.
Morgan May Treuil [00:52:13]:
You know what's crazy is that when they hear this, the next time that they hear a podcast episode, there might.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:18]:
Be a baby that's not on the podcast. But there might be a baby at that time.
Morgan May Treuil [00:52:23]:
There might be a baby living at that time. Well, there's already baby living, but it might be. Or it might be on the ground, as my dad would say about the cows.
Leslie Johnston [00:52:30]:
That's a crazy thing to say. Well, we love you guys. We'll see next time.
Morgan May Treuil [00:52:35]:
Bye.