Episode 9: Youth, Siblings, and Storytelling: Brit's Story

My conversation with Brit was, as always, warm, vulnerable, deep, honest. We walked to the community college library together and sat down to do what we usually do when we connect: we talk, we bare our souls. She doesn't hesitate at all to dive in immediately to the contents of her heart, a space she is used to dwelling in. Like others I have interviewed in person, she takes off her shoes while we converse, she puts her hands on her heart when she's digging for words to describe something intangible. Perhaps our bodies have universal languages to convey comfort and profundity.I shed tears as we talk together in this episode, a first, I believe, in my series of interviews. I'm not sure why I haven't cried yet with others (although to be honest, I have often become teary as I listen quietly in the editing process); it's possible that with Brit I am used to being in an emotionally vulnerable place and thus felt safer to express my own feelings? It's possible that she carries a power which makes others' deepest inner workings come to the surface. In either case, it's interesting and a bit embarrassing to hear my voice crack and warble as I try to keep the conversation rolling. I'm sure other journalists have shown emotion amidst their jobs, and I wonder: do they feel ashamed of revealing their humanity?This is a sweet and gentle conversation, one that rambles a bit into other territories of philosophy and community and our relationships to one another. Of course we can't jut talk about our own experiences without also feeling and seeing how those stories connect and tie to the stories of everyone around us. It's amazing how we can know people for years and still find new things to learn about each other. I came away from our dialogue feeling like we had only begun this conversation, that there were threads and paths to follow for many hours more.

Music by: Jeff Buckingham and Chad Crouch, Green Winged Teal from Free Music Archive