Blogging On The Radio
I just heard a masterfully done segment of This American Life. Ira Glass wove together two sides of the same story leading up to a happy ending. The woman speaks about how she liked this guy whom she worked with. His name was Joel. She had a pair of jeans that she thought really allowed her to put her best foot forward. She would set things up so that those pants were fresh and ready on the days and nights when she knew she'd see him. She wonders if they ever would have fallen in love, married, had children if not for those jeans. After they were dating for a while, he was in her apartment as she sorted through old clothes. When he questioned whether she should keep those pants, she couldn't believe it. And when he saw her face subtly, but dramatically drop, he couldn't believe it. He didn't like those pants, but he believes he would have fallen for her no matter what she wore. And he says that when he first falls for someone he idealizes them. And then he wonders, "Why would someone perfect go for imperfect me?" (He thinks this is pretty universal, and that sounds right to me.) He says that the fact that she liked those pants that he thought were out of style gave him hope that she could like awkward him.
(Uri - Does this exist anywhere on line?)
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 5:02 PM
8 Comments:
Interesting piece - just goes to show, sometimes we're right for the wrong reason, or rather a different reason than we think.
I'm not Uri - but if you're referring to the podcase, it's here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/
Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=873
Thank you Esqcapdes. My dear friend Aaron - of blessed memory - said that people get married for the "wrong" reasons, and then it works out.
Speaking of Aaron; the bottom post - if one scrolls all the way down, is one I'm fond of. I wrote it the night of a shiur sponsored in Aaron's memory. It will disappear soon, so just wanted to mention it.
Thanks for the link.
The post I referenced is from Wed March 25. I successfully changed the settings so that it is no longer the last post.
A very beautiful post - I loved the imagery and your observation about the posted picture vs. all the other sailboats crossing your path recently. Some friends seem to become become part of us forever, and when taken from us way too soon, and even the passing of years doesn't dull the immediacy of the friendship.
May his memory be a blessing and a comfort to you and his family.
Thank you. That post means a lot to me. It gestated for a long time. I never associated it with Aaron, didn't think his memory would cause me to go into labor with that baby...
I just found that the segment is called this I used to believe. here's the summary from NPR:
Pants Pants Revelation.
Joel and Kate were both working in a psychiatric hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts. They both like each other, and she tries to impress him by always wearing her favorite pair of jeans. Little did she know, the jeans were maybe the only thing about her that he didn’t like. (8 minutes)
It's at http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=378
The jeans story reminds me of an O.Henry plot.
Yeah. I can think of three, off hand, where he presents a twist ending about sacrificing for another:
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen
The Gift of The Magi
The Last Leaf
Can you name others?
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