What We’re Listening To
As I write this I am listening to the rain pouring down outside. January felt like a pretty heavy month weather-wise here in the Vancouver area, and then you add in how dark it is, and the lack of a holiday to break up the month, and it felt like a heavy month overall.
That’s why, when I, Lisa Catallo, asked the therapists at Vitality Collective for recommendations for podcasts to listen to, the “Grownups Read Things They Wrote as Kids” one stood out. This podcast has it all, and I’m thankful that Brittany Hoffmann recommended it.
It’s Canadian.
One of the things that stood out to me was that all of the titles that I first saw were recorded in Canadian cities. I love it when we are able to support other Canadians. It’s also great because our humour is just the best, don’t you think?
There are a lot of opportunities to laugh.
When you think of your childhood and the things that you wrote in your journal, don’t you just laugh? The things that you thought were so dramatic or important at the time now seem trivial. They also bring up fond memories of fun experiences that you had at school, with your family or with your friends. Reading them as a grown-up adds a bit more levity to the situation because we tend to change our tone a bit. This just adds to the opportunity to laugh at ourselves.
There are opportunities to reflect.
Some of the readings are about serious topics such as major rites of passage such as the first time someone had sex or got their period. There are also deeper readings from times that teenagers struggled with thoughts of suicide.
While some might be difficult to listen to, there are parts of each of these podcasts that we can relate to whether we are currently in that stage of life or reflecting back to what we have survived. We can also find similarities to our experience of life right now.
These heavier topics are handled with grace and compassion. I found that the way that the podcast hosts handled these situations helped me walk away from listening with a reflective attitude and compassion for the side of me and others that isn’t always light and funny.
I enjoyed this podcast.
A lot of my work life is spent sitting with the difficult sides of life, and the things that my clients are wanting to make better or improve about themselves. This can be hard work. So when I get the opportunity to laugh with a client, or on my way home from work, I happily grab on to it.
This podcast presents some fun perspectives on our childhood, and provides the opportunity to laugh at some good clean humour. There is some swearing in some of the readings, but it doesn’t feel out of place, because quite often it’s a reflection of what that (quite often teenager) younger self was experiencing.
If you listen to the podcast, we’d love to hear what you think of it. Comment below and fill us in!