EP004: Would do it all over again
Transcript available here.
Episode 004 Bonus Content: When Auntie was told she died
In this episode we meet Auntie who poses a question. A question really for all of us, which is, “If you are judging my life, tell me what you have done with yours?” She goes on to say, there are probably a lot of your actions that you don’t think are wrong, but to her and to others, maybe they are.
I don’t think Auntie is just saying defensively, “Judging her is like the tea kettle calling the pot black.” I think she is looking for more than that. She’s pointing out that we all have parts of our lives that others disagree with and that we should not simply fall into quick judgment. Rather, can we come together to find shared truth. I think it is at the center of why Auntie wanted to share her story.
Life is always more complicated, or gray, than the black and white world we often want it to be. We do need each other and all our differing views to find our way through the gray.
This conversation for sure is not meant to define the lines of right and wrong. That’s for all of us to work through. Rather, it is just asking us to stop and reflect on the complexity of life and give space for each other on issues we differ on.
Drugs are a polarizing force in our society. Some believe there should be zero tolerance for drug users and dealers, while others, such as Auntie, believe that all drugs should be made legal. Listening to each other is the first step in finding the shared truth.
Auntie feels she has lived a good life guided by her love of people. She knows she has pushed the edges of what society approves of but also that she has held true to her own sense of what is right and wrong, her own code of ethics. She says without reservation, she has no regrets.
Auntie in 2019
Auntie in 1956 (5 years old)
Auntie and Mr. B in 2022
Auntie with friend in 1976 (25 years old)
Auntie and Mr. B on Rainier Ave in Seattle, 2019
Aunties non functioning pain pump in 2019
Auntie in SODO neighborhood in Seattle, 2019