64. More Magical Moments

A few months ago Kate Kennedy shared the concept of “magical moments”- situations that feel like the entire world came together to bring you a wonderful treat. Nora reads some of our listeners’ own magical moments. 

Transcripts may not appear in their final version and are subject to change.

 Nora: I’m Nora McInerny and it’s going to be okay. A few months ago, our friend Kate Kennedy joined our show to share her okay thing, which she described as magical moments. 

So this is an episode about your magical moments, and first we have an email from Nicole 

Nicole’s email: every year, my college friend Amy and I, whose birthdays are three days apart, Meet somewhere to celebrate our birthdays together. We now live on opposite coasts and are working moms with multiple children between the two of us. But we always prioritize meeting somewhere to celebrate for a long weekend. A few years ago, we decided to meet in Chicago for the weekend to see one of our favorite bands, U2 play at Soldier Field.

It was a magical Chicago summer night. The weather was gorgeous and the show was fantastic. We had taken an Uber from our hotel to soldier Field to get there and had planned to do the same for the ride home. But not surprisingly, it was impossible to order an Uber or find a cab amidst the throngs of people leaving the stadium.

We decided to walk a bit and see if we could get away from the crowds and find a cab, but there were still so many people. We contemplated taking the L, but as we were about to climb the stairs up to the station, Amy spotted a row of bike share bikes, and we decided that could be fun. 

Neither of us had used a bike share service before, so we downloaded the app and eventually got it on our bikes and started pedalling back towards our hotel. We’re both safety girls and it felt weird not to be wearing a helmet, but let me tell you, it sounds stupid, but it was one of the most joyous experiences of my life.

I was peddling through the streets of Chicago at 11 at night. There wasn’t much traffic. We were passing people that were spilling out from the bars. The weather was warm, but not too warm. The breeze was whipping my hair around. I remember just giggling to myself like a little school girl. Amy and I have traveled a lot of places in the world together, but this moment will be seared in my brain as one of the most joyous we’ve had together.

When the pandemic hit and we had to put our birthday trips on hold, I thought back to this memory to keep me going and looking forward to our next trip when it was safe to travel again. And that’s what made me think everything was going to be okay. And that’s what made me think everything was going to be okay.

Nora: This next one is from a listener named Patrick.

Patrick’s email: This is a small one from back in 1999. When I was 17. I drank a lot of Sprite and sometimes the bottle caps would win a free Sprite. I won a Sprite and then the bottle cap for that one. I won a Sprite and then the bottle cap for that one won me yet another free Sprite.

Nora: That’s right. Three Sprites for the price of one Patrick’s was short and sweet. Sorry, bad pun. But three Sprites for the price of one. That is magical. That’s magical baby. That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I love. I love two friends who have known each other forever biking through the streets on ride share bikes.

Yes, you are. Helmetless. Yes, that is dangerous. And also you are momentarily your carefree younger selves, even though you have a lot of cares. One being that even in your. Special moment. You are worried about helmet safety, which you should be. I’ve known a lot of people who got messed up on bikes, but we’re not focusing on that part.

We’re focusing on the magical moment. The fact that you can still conjure that up and not even knowing what the two of you look like. So can I and three Sprites for the price of one. Statistically improbable, truly magical, truly wonderful. What a joy. What a joy to share in your joys. If somebody today shares a magical moment, something small that they are excited about something as small as something as small as a free Sprite, something as small as the parking spot opening up right when they needed need it to something as small as hitting every green light on the way to see you take a part in it.

The magic is what makes it all worthwhile. This is, it’s going to be okay and the it and it’s going to be okay. Changes every day from the extremely sincere to the somewhat silly to the free Sprite variety. We love hearing your okay things. We love sharing your okay things. Send them to us. You can call them in (612) 568-4441.

You can email them to us and I will read them like I read these ones. You can record a voice memo and attach it to that email. And send it to i g Tbo [email protected]. It’s going to be okay. It’s a production of Feelings and Co. You can find all of our shows and our awesome [email protected]. The team is me, Marcel Maa Kibo, Megan Palmer, Claire McInerney, and Jordan Turgen.

I record these episodes in my closet and I wish that, sometimes I wish that the birds. We’re a little more respectful cuz they have been singing their little hearts out on the other side of this wall. I guess the wall’s not thick enough, but you know what? Maybe I could consider that magical. Maybe I could take my own advice.

How about that? Maybe the bird is trying to tell me their magical moment. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.