In March, one of my favorite podcasts ended. And I’ve been trying to understand why it hurts so much. Here’s what I came up with.

I am fully aware that I am far from alone in experiencing the worst of times. For me, one of the worst parts of the pandemic, early on, was the all-encompassing silence that swooped in last year – especially after my Dad passed away on April 1st. At night, after a phone call disconnected, while cooking a meal, after I’d turn the TV off, even while I was working. As an editor, my work is not silent, but only up until recently, I needed some sort of wordless ambiance running in the background; ASMR, usually. It was almost like being afraid of the dark. I was tuning out my grief and my worry over friends and loved ones. I was scared to even move. So many of us were turning to tv shows, movies, books, and podcasts. For me, it was Downton Abbey, the Six of Crows Duology, and the “Hey, Do You Remember…?” podcast.

I can’t recall how exactly I stumbled onto “Hey Do You Remember…?”, but I’m glad I did. I became a fan of the trio (sometimes quartet) of people talking, laughing, bantering over films of various genres because their dialogue reminded me of the way I talk film with my own friends. It felt familiar in a way few other podcasts do.

In the Before Times, I looked forward to every new episode and once 2020 walloped us all, I ventured back to the podcast’s backlog frequently. Despite listening for several years, I’ve been reticent in my appreciation towards the show and didn’t engage much as a listener. I now regret not reaching out to the hosts, Chris, Donna, and Carlos, and also to the other fans as well. Something to learn from, I suppose.

What I’m getting at here is that the media we all clung to, amidst the chaos, fear, and bereavement of the past year – the same media that we will likely continue to rely on in the days ahead, even with flickers of hope on the horizon – it’s valid. It’s important. The laughter, the honesty, the community, it’s what’s keeping a lot of us afloat. In my experience, no hyperbole, it’s one of the key things that kept me sane, kept me going, kept me me.

HDYR was incredibly inspirational and influential for me in starting my own podcast and will likely continue to inspire as I move forward with other personal creative projects.

So: I want to express my gratitude for this podcast in particular, as the HDYR gang switch off their mics (at least on this pod, and at least for now). I’m thankful that the backlog of episodes will remain active for the time being and I’m grateful that, while the podcast is ending, the friendships are not (Carlos said so!).

So, to whoever may read this: whatever it is that’s kept you going, kept you as healthy and grounded as could be expected through 2020, I’m glad you had it.