Jennifer Hickson

Stop!

That's perfect!

To see a picture of the dragon tattoo she got in honor of her mother, visit themoth.org.

In a moment, a story about losing control on the road and also in a second grade classroom when the Moth Radio Hour continues.

This is the Moth Radio Hour.

I'm Jennifer Hickson.

We're sharing stories about trying to exercise power over others and sometimes over ourselves.

This next one is from Todd Kelly.

He told it at a Portland Grand Slam where we partner with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

Here's Todd.

That was Todd Kelly.

Todd says that what happened that day in his 1983 Mazda 323 was totally out of character.

I asked him why he thought he lost it that day, and he said, heck if I know, maybe it was my brain's way of telling my heart it was time to grow up and move on.

And that's what he did.

After Todd quit the Denon job, he bartended for a spell, then had a successful career in risk management.

And these days, Todd is a journalist who also produces live shows in Portland, Oregon.

For people whose North Star is predictability and order, any deviation from the path can be a challenge.

Our next story was told by Gabriel Woods-Lamanuzzi at a Story Slam in Boston, where we partner with PRX and public radio station WVUO.

Here's Gabriel.

That was Gabriel Woods Lamanuzzi.