this american life

i subscribed to the this american life podcast a couple years ago, mainly because i knew it was the cool thing to do.

well, the episodes mostly sat in my library, unheard and unloved.

this all changed when i took up late-night embroidery. i couldn't get enough of it during the day, so i started burning the midnight oil. and hey, i thought, i've got to do something to fill the silence. why not listen to that devotional elder and sister holland gave that i downloaded months ago that i till haven't heard.

turned out this talk wasn't on my ipod like i thought, but what was? six episodes of this american life that i had randomly decided one day that my ipod could not live without. and so it began.

i listened to three episodes that night. i didn't want to turn it off. even after i finished the piece i was working on, i lay on my bed in the dark, listening to ira glass and company tell stories about the most ordinary things.

last night i listened to an old episode called "middle school." it was amazing. emily knows about this from her first year teaching middle school, but hearing the voices of these sweet kids made me fall in love with them, all going through hard times and figuring out who they are supposed to be, all actually really smart and insightful.

so i guess it just took me a couple years to be cool enough for this american life. maybe this is a sign that i'm almost ready for a subscription to TIME?