As as already been established – I’m a pretty positive person. Granted, I’m human and like everyone else – I have my good and not so good/kinda bad days. And while the goal with this project is to grab onto some smidge of sweetness amidst the mayhem, I realize on the less-than-ideal days – those glimmers of bliss can seem very few and oh-so-far between. That’s why – on those occasions – it’s lovely to lean on the tried and true things that bring you bliss no matter the circumstance. You know those “what’s good in life” lifelines that you’re certain will boost your morale and buoy your spirits. Lucky for me I’ve got more than a few already established which I’ll be sharing with you here as we go along. PLUS we’ll be adding more to our bliss list in the weeks to come so be sure to follow along. In the meantime, I wanted to start by sharing something I can always count on to bring me those warm and wonderful feelings.
bliss list Item #1 – Stories from The Vinyl Cafe
For me these are tried and true through and through – the amazing “Stories from The Vinyl Cafe.” I know – without question – when I listen to one of these remarkable tales I’ll be swept up in a blanket of bliss for at least 20 minutes or so. No surprise I guess given my affinity for storytelling, but I’m hear to say – I simply adore them. It’s a love affair that began some two decades ago on a very snowy Sunday morning in Edmonton, Alberta and – like the majority of great love stories – it began when I least expected it and needed it most.
You see about some 10 months prior, I had left my life in Ontario to officially begin my career in broadcast. Oh sure, I’d done a few short radio contracts and TV specials here and there, but those had only required short term stays and weekends away. For this new chapter, having been hired to host a radio show full time – well, it meant packing up everything I owned, moving out of my Orillia home, leaving all my friends and family behind and settling into Alberta for the foreseeable future.
Now for the record, I didn’t know a soul in Edmonton and while my co-workers were lovely folks – I can confess to you now – this East Coast girl never quite felt at home out West. Still, I was VERY grateful for the amazing opportunities to co-host two radio shows on CISN FM and make a full-time move to television as Entertainment Anchor on the evening news as well as be the host, producer and writer of my very own nightly entertainment show. That part was remarkable! The reality of being far, far, far away from home however, was a little hard on the heart – especially as winter loomed, and believe me winter looms pretty hard in Albertan. In Edmonton it came on like a freight train I’ll tell ya. It’s so cold there in fact you need to plug your car in overnight. That’s crazy cold.
Okay back to the Vinyl Cafe… You see I was working pretty long days back then which left little to no downtime through the week, but I did have weekends off. On this day however, for some reason – which escapes me now – I had to go to TV station on a Sunday. I remember the roads were bananas – filled with snow and slush and a lot of cars going every which way and way below the speed limit. Needless to say, it was a pretty nerve-jangling journey from my townhouse on the outskirts to the station downtown. So rather than opt for my regular radio stations filled with country music hits and top 40 bangers, I scanned the dial and landed on CBC just in time to hear that oh so brilliant story teller – the late great Stuart McLean – just a few minutes into a ‘Dave Story’ (as we call them in my house.) The official title of that particular story was “Christmas Presents.” A tale in which Morley decides it would be a great idea for the the whole family to exchange names and make gifts for the person who’s name they got. Like a secret Santa among the 4 of them – that is Dave and Morley and Sam and Stephanie. You can listen to an excerpt of that story here, but I suggest you buy the entire Christmas Collection like I did and all the other recordings too. I have them all and adore them all and play them all OFTEN (on great days too!)
True – I was a little blue back then on that snowy Sunday in Edmonton and something in Stuart McLean’s comfortable delivery and comforting voice made me feel at home. The story of family he told made me laugh and cry (my favourite combination of story for the record) and as he delivered it so engagingly to the live theatre audience – as we all laughed and grew silent together – I felt a little less alone.
Since then I’ve listened to all of the Vinyl Cafe Stories over and over again. After that first Sunday I made a point to tune in every week that followed right up until Mr.McLean sad passing in 2017. If you miss the man and his wonderful shows like I do – then you might already know you can stream all of his incredible creations on vinylcafe.com.
It’s hard to believe it’s been more than twenty years since I first fell in love with those ‘Dave Stories’ and truth be told I’ve lost track of all the blissful moments that show and those stories have brought to me since that love affair began. When The Sidekick was little and refused to nap, crying and cranky – we’d head for the car – pop in a Vinyl Cafe CD and she’d be out like a light. These days we’re mostly pumping the latest jams on her demand but every once in a while I’ll sneak in a favourite or two like “Christmas at the Turlington’s” and “Dave and the Duck” and “Christmas on the Road” and “Morley’s Birthday Bash” and “Rashida, Amir and the Great Gift-Giving” and “Dave Cooks a Turkey” and, well… you get the picture (see complete story list here.) Ask my camera guy Scott Berrington and he’ll tell you – we listened to my entire collection on all those long rides to remote locations to film SEA AND BE SCENE TV. And you know to this day even though he assured me he liked them – there’s a part of me that’s convinced he would have enjoyed anything that gave him a break from my constant conversation. Either way I was grateful he was always up for an encore play of the Vinyl Cafe.
Yes indeed, those plays continue to this day and I love them now more than ever. Hope you get a chance to check them out and fall in love too!
What’s on YOUR bliss list?
Now that I’ve shared the first item from my bliss list – I’d love to know what’s on yours? Is there something you like to listen to that brings on the bliss for you. Is there a place you go that takes you back to ‘happy?’ Please let me know below what you lean on to bring on the glimmers on the days when they might seem oh so elusive.
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