Sandwiched
Of all the columns I’ve written in this newspaper and others, I think this one will be one of my husband’s favorites. Because I will be admitting that he was right and I was wrong. In writing.
Let’s go back a few years. My husband John travels around Central Indiana frequently due to his job selling gutters (oops, I mean “rainwater management systems”), garage floor coverings, insulation and other home improvement items. One day I asked him what he liked to listen to in his car during his long trips.
“Oh, I listen to National Public Radio,” he replied. “The programs are really interesting and I learn a lot.”
“NPR?” I scoffed. “You mean ‘old man radio’?”
See, I still thought of myself back then as somewhat cool. Longer road trips meant listening to my favorite tunes and often blasting them loudly. They gave me the chance to listen to MY music vs. the kid-friendly stuff we had to listen to when the boys were in the car.
I only listened to NPR in bits and pieces and it sounded dreadfully boring. I don’t like politics and hearing a bunch of people debating them turned me off.
Fast forward to the fall of 2017. My job with Link Observatory Space Science Institute, which is as awesome as it sounds, required me to travel more around Central Indiana to talk to different schools. This of course meant longer drives.
One day I was tired of hearing the same old songs and did some scanning. I landed on NPR and listened to a delightful book review. Books! I like books! I love discovering, reading, listening to and hearing about them.
Soon I realized I had been tuned in to NPR for over an hour. I enjoyed “1A” with its engaging debates. I was excited to be on the road around noon to discover Terry Gross and her “Fresh Air” interviews.
I didn’t change the station much in the weeks afterward and discovered other great programs. I became a fan of “No Limits” hosted by John Krull, director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism, and its focus on news stories of the week and topics that hit home with Central Indiana residents.
Soon I started tuning in during shorter trips and was delighted to discover “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me” on the weekend, a show that left me in stitches thanks to the hosts quizzing panelists and contestants in humorous ways about the week’s news.
Months later, I realized that NPR was actually pretty … cool. I loved being informed about what was going on in Central Indiana and beyond. My time on the road often flew by thanks to this station. We even became members of WFYI, the local station that brings NPR to Central Indiana.
I finally admitted to John that NPR wasn’t just for old men. To this day he still laughs when I ask him if he’s heard a certain segment on WFYI earlier.
John was right – NPR is quite interesting and you learn a lot. I encourage you to give it a chance … no matter your age or “coolness” level!