I've found my podcast

I had never ventured into the realm of podcasts until recently, on the long bus trip home from Sioux City, Iowa, with our tractor club friends.  It was dark; many of our group, older folks like me, were dozing, although I could hear random, quiet conversations once in a while.  Time was dragging.  I have trouble sleeping over four hours a night at home in my own bed, and I surely wasn't going to fall asleep sitting in a bus seat.  I thought about a person once telling me she and her husband regularly listen to a podcast about murder in small towns, where two guys dig up an old murder case from the past, analyze it, and make fun of the people in the town where it happened as well as the folks involved in the murder.  I reached down into a bag at my feet, pulled out the iPad, and clicked on the app for podcasts.  Before you start searching for it yourself, let me warn you this particular podcast is R-rated.  I listened to an entire episode and got a few laughs out of it, though.  Hey, I never said I was an angel.  

I can't understand why modern comedians think lewd talking makes them funnier, but I will listen to some of them... if they really ARE funny.  These guys made me laugh and helped the time pass, but I decided I'd look for a different podcast to call my own.  I wanted something relaxing, something that would make me feel better about life in general.  I'm not a prude, mind you.  But hearing someone say the F-word three times in every sentence eventually turns me off.  Still, I listened to a couple more.  Last night their little story was more than I could take.  It was about a murder, of course, one that really happened.  But it involved people who repeatedly molested children, even their own children.  This touched close to home, since there's something going on in a local town that, while it isn't THAT bad I suppose, troubles me deeply and has caused me some inner turmoil.  I stopped before the episode ended and decided I need to find a kinder, gentler podcast.  There is no way I can bear to listen at two guys laughing about child molesters at this point in my life.  

I was trying first one and then another when I remembered that one of you folks had suggested a podcast in a comment to a blog entry of mine.  I looked it up; it was from a reader who goes by the name of "Pudge" when she leaves a comment.  She suggested that I might like Sean of the South.  

I was familiar with this guy:  I've seen several of his columns shared on Facebook.  They are insightful articles that are worth the reading.  Recently I had even started following him on Facebook, but I didn't know (or care) that he had a podcast.

So when I awoke a few hours ago at midnight with a killer sore throat (no worries, I'm on the mend), I found the guy's podcast and made it mine.  I love a southern accent, although Pudge said, "I personally enjoy reading his creations more than listening to the podcasts because he lays on the good ole boy accent a little heavy."  

This guy tells simple stories about random people he meets, seeing the good in normal situations and average folks.  As Pudge said, he will bring tears to your eye, but they are the good kind of tears.  He leaves me thinking this old world isn't so bad after all.  He's written books, he does a newspaper column, he sometimes makes personal appearances, mostly in the south.  Look him up online if you wish:  He's totally rated "G".  

I'm grateful that one of my readers knew exactly what I needed at this point in my life.  I think I'll listen to another one.  It's 3:30 AM, and a long time before Cliff wakes up.  I believe Sean may even provide some inspiration for my journaling here.  

If you're tired of all the bad news these days, look him up.  You can read his words or listen to a podcast, but either way, you will end up a better person.  You might even find a laugh or two.

Gratefully yours,

Donna

PS:  For years I've had various readers tell me they were unable to comment on my blog.  While looking for something entirely different, I noticed a setting for "who can comment" and saw it was set for "those with a google account".  I changed that setting, so if you haven't been able to comment and are still a reader, you might try it now.  Maybe I've fixed that issue.  I'm not all that computer-savvy, and I seem to be forgetting a lot of things I used to know.  My one biggest regret about this blog is that I can't type an answer to questions in the comments directly to the person who asked the question.