Dear Stephen,
Just over six months ago, I started a new job that demands a two hour commute each way (first off, it’s rather depressing seeing the moon on a morning commute - second, yes the job is worth it). The struggle to find something to do during those commuting hours has been at times quite difficult. Just shy of a month ago, I was introduced to your podcast. I am still in the process of going through the beginning episodes, however I can’t tell you how much listening to your stories has ‘enlightened’ my commute. At first they primarily gave me something to laugh out loud with - a truly tremendous feat at 5:30am let me tell you. Yet the evolution of the story topics have caused me to take a step back and look past the details of the work day routine, the commuting bustle, the hubbub of it all and just appreciate more so the big picture. Definitely sounds quite corny, but I guess I’m a bit of a sap for a great story with thoughtful endings. :)
This morning I listened to your podcast about your experience at school with Joan Potter - I’ve loved so many of your podcasts but this one I actually felt the need to now sit here at my desk with my daily large coffee and say, “Wow”. How many times have each of us throughout our lives been faced with a seemingly impossible situation and instead of running away and hiding, actually strategically attempted to confront it knowing that the chances of success are slim? And when reflecting on my own history as a high school student and then a college student and now adulthood and then thinking about all the conversations I’ve had with my younger sister when she went through similar “growing pain” situations, it’s fascinating not just to think on those battles but more so the reactions we have given to them in different stages in our lives. Through every pep talk, my mother always stated a paraphrase from that quote whose author I admit I don’t know - ‘We can’t control the situation, but we can control how we react to it’. Yes we always rolled our eyes when we heard the phrase but I of course paid heed and did at least try to take the high road come difficult situations, and I’m sure my sister has done the same as well considering we both still go back to Mom for advice. What the podcast made me think about is how the battles we’ve had to fight over the years have exponentially grown in number, which is of course natural considering the growth of responsibilities and such. As adults we are somewhat used to these battles. But back then, most of us weren’t used to fighting for ourselves, much less by ourselves. Without the protection of our parents and with the heightened emotion and oftentimes selfishness/naivety of a teenager or young adult, we most likely didn’t know how to handle a truly difficult conflict, much less overcome it. I was incredibly impressed with how you handled the situation of getting through college despite efforts against it, and more so with the lesson you said you learned from the situation itself. To add another rhetorical question, how many of us can figure out the moral to the story when we’re the ones in it at the time?
This was a great listen and a fantastic source of inspiration when faced with future challenges. I apologize for the long-windedness of the email, but I’m trying to do the whole ‘typing what I’m thinking’ thing to see if I can get my point across - I hope it somewhat worked. Bottom line, I loved this episode. Thank you so much for sharing. :)
