Welcome to the rollercoaster ride that is the inaugural episode of WTS Presents: All the Feelings, where we're tackling the big, scary, exhilarating, and occasionally refrigerator-filled world of change. Today we're serving up a cocktail of emotion, with a dash of humor, a sprinkle of sarcasm, and a generous dose of poetry.
First, we dive into the treacherous waters of domain names, where one wrong move can have you sharing an acronym with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms — talk about an unexpected change! We then wade through the murky depths of metathesiophobia, a fear of change that's as tricky to navigate as the word is to pronounce. Tommy opens up about his personal journey of moving apartments in Los Angeles, a tale that involves an Indiana Jones fridge, a soundtrack of weekly car crashes, and a superintendent who's a little too fond of mold. But fear not, this tale of change has a happy ending, complete with a new home, a life-changing freedom from metal plates, and the four-legged love of Tommy's life, Foster. Who knew change could be so…furry?
From there, we set sail on a historical journey that takes us from the days when travel was all about the destination, to the birth of the SS Norway — the ship that flipped the cruise industry on its head. This rusty old relic transformed into a floating city, sparking a revolution that forever changed our perspective of big boats. It's safe to say that journeying across the ocean has never been the same.
Pete’s fascinated by the Hedonic Treadmill. No, it's not the latest fitness frenzy, but a psychological concept that explains why we always return to a baseline level of happiness. It's like we're all hamsters in a wheel, constantly running but never really getting anywhere. We debunk some common myths about happiness. According to Sonja Lyubomirsky, a renowned psychology professor, tying your happiness to specific events — like getting married or striking it rich — won't make you permanently happy.
Finally, we offer a sonnet by Rainer Maria Rilke, who reminds us to embrace change, even if it feels like we're shattering into pieces.
So there you have it, folks! Change can be scary, exciting, and sometimes it even comes with a free fridge. But hey, if we can survive this episode, we can survive anything.
Links & Notes
What is All the Feelings • The Senses?
You've had your senses your whole life. Nobody gave you the manual.
This season, Pete Wright and Tommy Metz III take them one at a time: twelve episodes, twelve senses. First come the five you learned in kindergarten. Then come the five nobody bothered to mention: knowing where your own elbow is with your eyes closed, staying upright, the thermostat war, pain, and the quiet internal voice announcing that you should probably find a bathroom soon. After that comes an episode on the senses scientists are still arguing about, and then a finale on the sense of humor. Humor isn't technically a sense, but it's how we get through the other eleven.
Along the way: the fabric you can't stand against your skin, the voice you hate hearing on recordings (your own), the smell that drops you straight back into your grandmother's kitchen, and so much more.
Same show, same two able and bewildered adults. We used to be called What's That Smell?, so in hindsight we've been a senses show all along.
Want to help us make sense of it all? Join the Feeling Friends at allthefeelings.fun.