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“Woah-oh, what I want to know, is are you kind"

❤️ Editor's Note

The Thanksgiving We Didn't Plan

Thanksgiving has always struck me as a curious holiday.

We set aside an entire day to celebrate gratitude, and then spend an extraordinary amount of time discussing the turkey.

How big should it be? How long should it cook? Should it be brined, basted, smoked, or deep-fried? And who, exactly, is responsible for the gravy?

Michelle and I are more on the plant-forward side of eating, so we approach these conversations from a slightly different perspective. We love a good Thanksgiving feast. Just perhaps not the bird at the center of it.

But lately, I've been thinking less about what's on the table and more about what this holiday is supposed to celebrate.

Gratitude. Especially when life doesn't go according to plan.

I remember being at the Sphere in Las Vegas in June 2024, watching Dead & Company perform. John Mayer began playing the unmistakable opening notes of "Althea."

Except "Althea" wasn't the next song on the playlist.

Realizing his mistake, he stopped, set down his guitar, and bowed to the audience.

And the audience gave him a standing ovation.

Not for a blistering guitar solo. But simply for being human.

He picked up his guitar and began the song he was actually supposed to play: "Stella Blue."

I've thought about that moment often. Mayer responded with humor and humility, and the audience offered generosity and grace.

Nobody got the moment they'd expected. But everyone got something worth remembering.

Perhaps there's a Thanksgiving lesson in that.

Things don't always unfold the way we'd hoped. Plans change. Disappointments happen. Sometimes we find ourselves somewhere other than where we wanted to be.

We don't have to pretend those moments are wonderful. But we can choose how we respond to them, and perhaps find something worth appreciating along the way.

So this Thanksgiving, whether your table features turkey, tofu, or something entirely unexpected, I hope you'll enjoy the feast.

And when something doesn't go according to plan—and something probably won't—remember that little moment at the Sphere.

Sometimes all it takes is a little humility, a little grace, and the willingness to begin again.

And if we're lucky, someone might even applaud.

🌊Wander

The Art of Not Knowing What's Next

We spend so much of our lives trying to eliminate uncertainty. We make plans, set goals, and imagine how things ought to unfold.

And then, of course, life happens.

The Taoists have an interesting way of looking at this. One of the central ideas in Taoist philosophy is wu wei, often translated as "effortless action" or "non-forcing."

It doesn't mean doing nothing. It means learning to work with the natural movement of things rather than constantly struggling against them.

I've always thought there was something distinctly Grateful Dead about that idea.

At their best, the band seemed to understand that music wasn't something to be controlled so much as something to be discovered. One musician would introduce a phrase, another would respond, and suddenly the music would begin moving in a direction nobody had anticipated.

They weren't simply playing songs. They were listening to what the songs might become.

I've spent much of this year exploring ideas like these through a writing project that became a book called Four Roads.

It began with a curious question: What might we discover by listening to four very different voices—the Tao Te Ching, Scripture, the poetry of Hafiz, and the Grateful Dead?

I wasn't looking to suggest that these traditions all say the same thing. But I kept discovering places where their insights crossed: the importance of paying attention, the difficulty of letting go, and the possibility that a meaningful life doesn't always follow the path we'd imagined.

What surprised me most wasn't how much these four voices had in common, but how often one helped me hear something new in another.

And perhaps that's the real value of wandering beyond the familiar. We don't necessarily find the answers we were looking for. Sometimes we discover better questions.

Four Roads is now published. It's written in journal format as a contemplative field guide to being human, and if these reflections resonate with you, I'd love to share it. Here is a link to the book:

​Four Roads: Available on Amazon​

🔎 Discover

Before Unplugged Was a Thing

Before MTV turned acoustic performances into a television phenomenon, the Grateful Dead were already showing audiences just how magical things could get when they unplugged.

In October 1980, the band settled into a series of shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York, opening each evening with an acoustic set before plugging in for their electric performances.

For a band celebrated for its sprawling improvisations, the acoustic sets offered something different. Familiar songs took on a more intimate character, with the interplay between Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and the rest of the band revealing just how beautifully these musicians could communicate without turning up the volume.

Songs like "Dire Wolf," "Bird Song," "Cassidy," and "Ripple" found new life in these performances, while traditional folk and blues material reminded listeners of the musical roots that had always been part of the Dead's DNA.

Recordings from these shows, along with performances from the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, eventually became Reckoning, one of the band's most beloved live albums.

And if you've never spent much time with the acoustic Dead, this is a wonderful place to begin.

Sometimes it's worth remembering that a band capable of taking a song into the outer reaches of the musical universe could be just as captivating sitting down with acoustic guitars.

Give it a listen: Reckoning (1981), or seek out the Radio City Music Hall performance from October 31, 1980.

🎧 Listen

A Little Acoustic Dead for November

There's something about the warmth and intimacy of Reckoning that feels just right for this time of year. So pour yourself something warm, find a comfortable spot, and spend a little time with the Grateful Dead at their acoustic best.

​Bird Song (Acoustic)​

This acoustic performance from Reckoning gives the melody room to breathe, with Jerry's delicate guitar work and the band's gentle interplay creating a sense of warmth, reflection, and quiet wonder.

​Cassidy (Acoustic)​

There's a wonderful sense of movement in this acoustic rendition of "Cassidy," with Bob Weir's expressive vocals and the band's intricate interplay giving the song a life of its own. It's a beautiful reminder that even familiar paths can lead somewhere unexpected.

Bonus Track

​Fire On The Mountain​

It's Halloween night, 1980, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. We're deep into the third set, and the band has just taken us through the strange and wonderful territory of Drums and Space. Then, as the musical fog begins to lift, those familiar opening notes of "Fire on the Mountain" emerge.

Turn this one up.

💧 A Ripple Moment Before We Go

We all have our favorite songs, our preferred plans, and our own ideas about how things should go.

This week, try letting someone else take the lead. Listen to their music. Follow their suggestion. Say yes to something you might ordinarily decline.

You might discover something wonderful when you stop trying to control the setlist.

NFA 🌹🌻

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More soon. Stay kind...

Todd & Michelle

​China Cat Chat​

💌 Got a Story to Share?

We want your tales from the trail! Whether it’s a recipe from Shakedown Street, a memory from the lot, your all-time favorite show, or just a lyric that’s stayed with you—we’d love to hear it. China Cat Chat is for Deadheads, by Deadheads, and your voice makes this community what it is.

We’re also always looking for folks to interview in upcoming issues. If the music has touched your life in a special way, or you’ve got a perspective to share, drop us a line!

Tell Us Your Story | Be Interviewed