Podcasts are great, they are modern day radio shows, all about the audio. Even better, I have always loved stories and story telling. In the sixth grade at Wiley Intermediate School (Watertown, NY), I won a trophy and honorable mention for story telling and forgot how much I loved it. I want to say that there is some potential in me when it comes to being a professional story teller.
To my surprise and pleasure, my son Alex (9 years old), also loves the Moth. They developed an app that gets updated weekly with new stories, every time that Alex and I go for a drive anywhere in the car, he ALWAYS asks to listen to the Moth. I am not sure who loves the podcast more, Alex or myself.
One funny thing that happened a few years back one night, while I was making dinner and listening to the moth podcast on my headphones. Usually, at the end of an episode, they announce that they will be coming to this town or that town in the near future.. Well.. by some crazy happinstance, they announced that they were coming to Clayton, NY!!! Also, it was that night!!! In like one hour!!! I had partaken in a glass of wine (or two) while cooking so I called my friend Brandy and asked her to come get me. I went online and bought us tickets. Being the amazing friend that she is, Brandy showed up immediately and we headed over to Clayton to find out that I was off... by a week! The following week I was there with friends and bells on! I love the Moth.
This brings me to now, a few weeks back when I knew that I had a commitment in Plattsburgh, NY and also found that the Moth was going to be having a story slam nearby in Burlington, VT. Always looking for ways to bring pleasure to my beautiful Alex's face, I bought us tickets. Alex was beside himself with happiness the morning that I told him (the same day that the show was happening), and we just kept getting luckier and luckier as the day went on. Parking spot right in front of the New Moon Cafe... we were accidentally an hour early... (so we WERE able to eat dinner before).. and then, the producers gave us to reserved seats in the second row!!? I had some ideas floating around in my head, so, I figure I might go for broke and put my name in the hat.
I have to say this one more time, everything in life is sweeter through my son's eyes. His excitement and happiness makes everything brighter and so much more beautiful. Every time someone pulled a name from the hat, he would just... tense up. There are ten slots for story tellers for the evening and five have told their stories, short intermission, then it is time to announce #6. The hostess spills my name from her mouth and Alex just bounces up in his chair, you can tell... he cannot wait. Later on when Alex and I discussed his feelings at this moment, he described it like this "well, I was thinking in my head "oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...." and was very nervous". I swallowed, stood up, and stepped up to the microphone and this is what came out.... (on a side note, at the end of this recording, listen for the second round of clapping to hear Alex let out a couple of whoops for his mom).
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