Podcast Narrator

And then you go, well, now I haven't got a balloon. And then you go, well, maybe I'll get another one. Maybe there'll be another balloon and maybe it'll be a different shape or it'll be shinier or whatever it is. Like you've got to be able to let go of stuff to make new things come in. You've got to have the space and the time to encounter something new.

And then you go, well, now I haven't got a balloon. And then you go, well, maybe I'll get another one. Maybe there'll be another balloon and maybe it'll be a different shape or it'll be shinier or whatever it is. Like you've got to be able to let go of stuff to make new things come in. You've got to have the space and the time to encounter something new.

A friend of mine a year ago, maybe less, had his heart broken in the most brutal circumstances. It was his first love, first girlfriend. And they broke up and he was just not in a good way. And this was his first real proper serious girlfriend, certainly the first time he'd been in love before. I just found myself saying to him, I was like, this is great.

A friend of mine a year ago, maybe less, had his heart broken in the most brutal circumstances. It was his first love, first girlfriend. And they broke up and he was just not in a good way. And this was his first real proper serious girlfriend, certainly the first time he'd been in love before. I just found myself saying to him, I was like, this is great.

this is great because you really only understand what love is once your heart's been broken. You understand how tender it is. And I was like, and you understand it now. And what's, you're looking at this all wrong. You get to do it again. You get to do this again. You're going to meet someone else and feel all these feelings and perhaps

this is great because you really only understand what love is once your heart's been broken. You understand how tender it is. And I was like, and you understand it now. And what's, you're looking at this all wrong. You get to do it again. You get to do this again. You're going to meet someone else and feel all these feelings and perhaps

you'll go into that relationship, learning what you've learned from this relationship, and that will then feed that relationship in a different way. And he's just met someone, right?

you'll go into that relationship, learning what you've learned from this relationship, and that will then feed that relationship in a different way. And he's just met someone, right?

And he's like, oh my God, this is amazing. And I'm like, yeah. He's got that balloon again. Yeah. That's it. That's it. And so, again, I think it's expectation. is the thing that makes us hold onto stuff. If you can just ebb and flow with stuff, you're going to find it so much easier to take the good, the bad, and the everything in between as just all being good for you.

And he's like, oh my God, this is amazing. And I'm like, yeah. He's got that balloon again. Yeah. That's it. That's it. And so, again, I think it's expectation. is the thing that makes us hold onto stuff. If you can just ebb and flow with stuff, you're going to find it so much easier to take the good, the bad, and the everything in between as just all being good for you.

Next week on the podcast of This American Life. Not long ago, Zach's father called to warn him that the country's power grid was about to be wiped out. I know it sounds like conspiracy theory, but... He believes a lot of conspiracy theories. Zach has trouble getting him to see the facts. And then, they figured out a way to settle their arguments once and for all. See eye to eye.

Next week on the podcast of This American Life. Not long ago, Zach's father called to warn him that the country's power grid was about to be wiped out. I know it sounds like conspiracy theory, but... He believes a lot of conspiracy theories. Zach has trouble getting him to see the facts. And then, they figured out a way to settle their arguments once and for all. See eye to eye.

That's next week on the podcast on your local public radio station.

That's next week on the podcast on your local public radio station.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. On our podcast, Good Bad Billionaire, we explain how the world's billionaires made all their money.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. On our podcast, Good Bad Billionaire, we explain how the world's billionaires made all their money.

Pop stars and tech titans, founders and filmmakers, inventors and investors, we cover them all. And for the first time, we're talking about a video game designer.

Pop stars and tech titans, founders and filmmakers, inventors and investors, we cover them all. And for the first time, we're talking about a video game designer.

Yep, we're talking about Marcus Persson, the Swedish coding king who programmed the world's most successful game, Minecraft, all by himself.

Yep, we're talking about Marcus Persson, the Swedish coding king who programmed the world's most successful game, Minecraft, all by himself.