Ira

Parents in America spend a lot of time carpooling their children from activity to activity. My parents were no exception. I had a hard time sticking with any one activity. You name it, I took a class in it. For example in dance alone I took creative dance, modern dance, jazz dance, tap dance, and ballet. I took gymnastics, screen painting, cooking, pottery, ceramic painting, swimming, sewing, horse back riding, speed reading, acting, skiing, karate, piano, and guitar. There are others, but I'll spare you; I know you have other things to do with your time. The activities changed constantly, but one thing stayed the same: All Things Considered. Whenever my dad drove me, All Things Considered, the NPR news show, was on the radio. If they ever make a movie of my life, the notes of the All Things Considered theme should be incorporated into the soundtrack representing my childhood.

My dad is a Republican, like most believing Mormons. Republicans aren't known for their love of NPR. But my dad loved NPR. He also loved to yell at the commentators, which was particularly humiliating to his children when it was our turn for my dad to be in chauffeur the carpool. When people ask how my Republican father raised four children, all of whom turned out to be democrats, I usually respond it was due to all those hours listening to NPR. I told a friend this once and he promised to increase the size of his donation during the next pledge drive.

When I lived in Boston, I found that NPR had more to offer me than the news. I discovered "This American Life" and I fell in love. I fell in love with Ira Glass and I fell in love with his show. If I turned on the radio and found it on, I would be unable to run out for the milk, or to leave the car after running an errand. It is difficult to describe how I feel listening to this show, which is composed of nothing more than everyday stories from everyday people. While I tend to both laugh and cry, I also feel something stronger. I feel myself expanding. I feel the way the notes of the stories resonate inside me like notes resonating in a domed cathedral. Through these stories there is enough space inside me to be the prostitute, the gang child, the politician, the mother, the friend. Many, many people love this show, but for me in particular, who loves nothing more than to step inside another's life, it's practically nirvana.

Living in Boston was sometimes a challenge. I had wanted to stay in Israel. I was often ashamed to be an American while the country was gearing up for the invasion of Iraq. Whenever I was sad that I lived in America I would remind myself that America was the home of NPR. Whenever I found my disgust in America or Americans growing too strong, I would listen to Ira Glass and remember why it was that I loved my home and my people. I listened to the show on the internet at work while entering data and it kept me from going crazy during the long, quiet hours. I would come home and tell the stories I had heard that day, and get even more pleasure from the telling.

For all of these reasons, Ira became a part of my life in Boston, and a part of my relationship with my ex. I subscribed to the podcast months ago, but haven't listened to a single show. If I heard Ira on the radio, I would do something that very, very few NPR listeners have the power to do: I would change the station. It hurt too much to hear the voice of my old friend who was such a part of my old life.

Which is why when I found out that Ira Glass was coming to Salt Lake, I got tickets. I thought, here is my chance to have a new, and different experience with this voice. Here is my chance to become newly acquainted with something I love. So, I did something I find remarkable. I paid $40 to watch a man sit on a stage and talk about the radio, when I can listen to this man anytime, for free. I convinced two other friends to make the same investment. And it worked. I felt that same sense of expanding, of recognizing myself in the people in his stories, and the thrill of finding these strangers in myself. I felt both of these, without the accompanying sadness that caused me to shut off the radio for the last year. I feel like I rediscovered an old friend today.