After a sweet walk in the snow with my dog companion, I came home and listened to WNYC. I love public radio. I have always loved public radio programming, Radiolab, Cartalk, This American Life. But I haven't actually listened to the radio since I lived with my parents and they drove me places while we listened to it. Or those terrible memories of waiting rooms that played All Things Considered. That little music clip always made me feel depressed as a kid.
Since November, I have been trying to keep up with the news. It was an assignment from Harshada. Up until recently, I couldn't quite get the hang of it. I didn't want to read it online, I hate the feel of newspaper in my hands, I didn't know where to read it, whatever. News magazines? Eh. Then three weeks ago it just happened, like someone had touched me with a magic wand: I was listening to the news. My friend dogsat for me and when I came home, my amp was getting good reception and all I had to do was push a button. Voila. News while I putter. News while I shower and dress. I feel connected. Hearing the voices of people all over the world talk about their universes makes me cry. Amen for WNYC.
Plus, I get to listen to the news while I wash dishes. Ah, I love washing dishes now. Seriously.
I feel like I can do this adulthood thing. Because I'm not listening to the news because I have to, I really like it. I'm not doing my dishes because I've got to - done that for long enough. I really like it. It feels like magic, that this has happened to me. Who knew that these things that need to be done, these things that I want to have done, are also things that I enjoy doing. Amen.
This morning, since I was home later than usual, I got to hear the little BBC morning jingle for the first time (yes, I'm 29, I know) and it was so proud and exciting. I almost thought it was a joke, like a British comedy radio show. I think it may well have healed my early childhood trauma having to listen to All Things Considered in waiting rooms.
Thank you, WNYC, and all public radio. I love you.
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very cool. the kitchen-chore-loving
ReplyDeleteaspect of "the adulthood thing" has
only recently manifested in me (at 53).
i've blogged it a little with a couple
photos in "open a vein" called
"the domestic arts in the age
of digital reproduction".
anyhow this "i really *like* it"
thing... i'm convinced... comes
from *exercising freedom*.
we've *chosen* to do this work
at this time... and moreover
will darn well do it *our way*
at *our pace* (and all in the serene
confidence that our performance
will be *good enough* for our needs).
one could probably even
get to like *math* this way...