I didn't even know NPR existed until an ex boyfriend (the really old one), introduced me to it in my twenties and since then I can't get enough. I love the visual nature of the commentary and the personal approach to the news stories about people that could easily be me. I love the sense of humor and unapologetic raw emotion of these anonymous voices that come to me over my clock radio.
On Friday mornings there is a segment called Story Corps that I always turn the hairdryer off or the car radio up to be sure I get to hear. How fortunate these strangers are to have a story worth telling and I often feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to sit with them for a few minutes every Friday and listen to their lives.
I have been inspired to take action and start recording the stories that have been happening around me, but where do you start? If you know my family, you know that no event passes without becoming a great allegory to be told and retold to whomever will listen. My mother was officially queen of incredible story telling and I couln't help but wonder how much of these great adventures were true so I decided to start with her brother, Scott.
Last Saturday Uncle Scott, Grandma and Heather all accompanied me to the StoryCorps trailer that is parked at the City County building in Salt Lake. What an incredible day.
There is something about this mobile recording studio sitting against the classical backdrop of Salt Lake history that was very poignant to me and as Heather and I drove up I was overwhelmed and giddy. What insights into my mother's life, before her children, might the conversation in the trailer offer?
I had so many things I wanted to ask, so may stories I longed to hear again and endless curiosities that needed satisfying but I was intimidated and apprehensive about it too. So the only logical thing to do was ask Heather to sit next to me and coach me through. Heather with her photographic memory, tender heart and ability to make me feel at ease was the perfect companion.
I am pleased to say that StoryCorps did not bastardize the inside of this dreamy camper, it was just as you would imagine the inside of an Airstream and that made me a little giddy. Heather and I sat on one side of the little fold down table with Grandma and Scott on the other to tell their story. It was certainly intimate.We had a moderator who did a little sound check and gave us a few suggestions and off we went. Unsurprisingly, I was emotional from the moment we started recording and I don't think I ever really pulled myself together. My intention was to ask questions or prompt for stories and then listen but it turns out I have a lot to say.
Sweet Grandma was confused about why we were there and despite the numerous explanations of what was happening, she didn't understand why we would cram her into this little booth to stick a microphone in her face. She sat with her hands folded reverently in her lap and would lean forward nervously to talk and then settle back into her spot until she felt compelled to speak. Her mind that has become a little clouded recently seemed to clear as we chatted and the confusion that worries me and frustrates her was absent from our interview.
It was surreal talking to Uncle Scott because he is so much like mom. The first question I asked was, "do you see my mom when you look in the mirror?" Their gestures, laugh lines, teeth, hands and verbal expressions are so similar I struggle between finding it comforting and upsetting.
I had a long list of topics to discuss but as I knew would happen, we only got through about three of them before we ran out of time. There are so many things to talk about and I officially charge myself with taking the time to make this happen more often.
Thank you to Heather, Scott and Grandma. I had an amazing day.
