It was a late August Sunday afternoon and I was stuck with my son-in-law on a 2 1/2 hour drive with nobody else to buffer the conversation. What would we possibly discuss? Plus, I was so tired from my unrelenting insomnia that all I wanted was to snuggle up with my pillow and catch some zzzz’s.
Thankfully, his radio was already on when the truck roared to life. Assuming he was dreading the conversation too, I was hoping for classic rock, when low and behold, talk radio began. A podcast. I’m not a huge fan of podcasts and I tend to gravitate towards the true crime or fiction stories. However, before I could recline my seat and settle my head onto the pillow, I was reaching to turn up the volume. For you see, in addition to my insomnia, my hearing was starting to go as well. At age 59, these “old people ailments” were really starting to bite.
Two really fast hours later, my metamorphosis began! I was soon completely mesmerized by a two hour interview with Dr. Casey Means and her brother Calley Means on the Tucker Carlson Show. Unbeknownst to me, my son-in-law and daughter had begun listening earlier in the day and he was quite eager to get back to it. Before I could say let’s surf the channels, I was hooked.
I had never heard of these two and now I couldn’t get enough of the siblings. The manner in which they explained what human tragedy is occurring in our society with regard to our health, our bodies, our minds and our entire healthcare system was utterly fascinating. It wasn’t so much what they said (processed foods = bad, sugar = bad, transfats = bad, alcohol = bad) but how they framed it. When seen through their groundbreaking lens and explained in plain talk even I can understand, the jaw-dropping message clonked me over the head and had starving for more!
Once home, I ran to Taco Bell to anesthetize myself one last time. You see, I am a foodie and my drug of choice is savory “bar food” or fast food. Plus, I was slightly hungover, without a good night’s sleep and I needed my “food blankie” one last time. For I knew things would be drastically different starting the next morning. And for the first time, I relished the idea, rather than loathed it! Anyone who hears this podcast and doesn’t have their curiosity peaked is a fool.