Shankar Vedantam

And in doing so, they can offer an invitation to see things differently.

I want to be really clear that different ways of seeing things don't necessarily feel good.

Some things are just awful, and we just need to acknowledge their role in our lives without needing to transform them into something positive.

But even when feeling good isn't an option, we can find meaning.

And that active search for meaning is what it sounds like Kristen has been working to do.

And that in and of itself is a worthwhile and valuable goal.

Redemption isn't the only option in the wake of negative experiences.

I'm so glad you mentioned that, Jonathan, because I was struck when Kristen said, I feel better knowing some things are out of my control.

So she's not necessarily telling a story that says things have taken a dramatic upswing, but she is saying her own understanding about her life has changed as a result of these negative experiences.

Exactly.

So if we were sort of technically looking, examining her narrative, we might see evidence of what we call exploratory processing, that search for meaning, which is different than redemption, right?

Redemption turns negative positive.

Exploratory processing can lead us to a sense of meaningfulness, but it might not feel good.

But that search for meaning is still a really worthwhile pursuit.

One common story we heard from many listeners had to do with an injury or an illness.

Here's one from Alison.

And I think part of that is telling my big life stories in a redemptive way.

About a year and a half ago, my husband was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer.

And I think we sort of thought it was very scary and crappy.

But we did what we had to do to get through it.