Hey y’all,
A few months ago, I interviewed a listener who said something I’m still thinking about. After Amanda Petteruti’s dad passed away, she discovered his secret coin collection — something that left her not just frustrated, but angry. She couldn’t understand why her dad sank thousands of dollars into this secret hobby when her family could’ve used that money on groceries or home repairs instead.
Toward the end of our conversation, she told me she wished she’d sat down with her dad, sorted through his many possessions, and asked him: Why is this stuff important to you?
“Tell me what this is, Dad. Tell me the story here,” she said. “Make the memory come up, so it doesn’t go away with you … unless you want it to’”
There’s something about that sentiment that feels so evocative to me –– the idea that many of our things only hold value because of the meaning we ascribe to them, and how easily that meaning can vanish when we pass.
It’s something I was thinking about on my morning walk today. I was reflecting on our 10th season, which wraps up this week, when I realized this idea — that meaning fades unless we actively preserve it — came up several times in my conversations with our guests.
I was reminded of the first episode, my conversation with poet and writer Hanif Abdurraqib.
Instead of physical things, we talked about our relationship to physical places, particularly those threatened by violence and gentrification. He talked about how places live within us, and the importance of memorializing that connection.
“I feel responsible in my writing to keep alive the people who have died or have been pushed even further to the margins … to the point where they’ve been almost erased,” he explained. “People have to survive even when they don’t physically survive in a place.”
Similar to Amanda’s point, Hanif explained that it’s up to the living to carry the weight of what’s left behind. I can’t help but notice how much it also relates to the final point funeral director Joél Simone Maldonado made during our conversation about her career a few episodes back.
Joél talked about the importance of preparing wills and getting our finances in order before we pass, but how, really, the greatest inheritance we can leave behind is in the way we loved people and how we lived out our values. As Joél put it, “We pass on things that are intangible … those are the things that matter most.”
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that iterations of this same idea surfaced multiple times this season. At a time when my family is grappling with so much loss and uncertainty, I find myself reaching for connection to the past, to the people I’ve lost, and to the stories that keep them alive. It’s made me appreciate the craft of storytelling more than ever.
When I reflect on the last 10 seasons of the show, I think about how our team has explored a wide range of important topics: financial infidelity, the fast-fashion industry, work discrimination and medical scams. But I also think about how it’s so special to have preserved people’s individual stories, and the universal emotions and uncomfortable truths behind them.
If there’s anything I’ve taken away from this season, it’s that sharing our stories is what keeps them alive, not just for others, but for us too. They remind us of what matters, what we’ve survived, and where we still need to go. I’m excited to share more stories with you all next season, in 2025. Thanks so much for all your support over the years, I really appreciate you all.
— Reema
The Comfort Zone
What our team is watching, reading and listening to this week.
- Reema’s Halloween baking project
- This spooky season, chocolate is out and gummies are in.
- The “99% Invisible” about Spirit Halloween is great.
- Catch up on “What We Do in the Shadows” before the final season!
- Another Uncomfortable horror rec: “The Witches of Eastwick.”
- Zoë’s been terraforming Mars in her new fave board game.
- Can painting cure a shopping addiction? Maybe so. We’ve heard gardening works too.
- Hanif Abdurraqib has a huge sneaker collection, but he wears them all.
- Meet the “climate quitters” who changed careers to help the environment.
- More research for our next season: Who was the girlboss?
- Here’s a very Uncomfortable story about working as a wedding planner when your marriage is falling apart.
- Finally, here’s Tony’s Halloween playlist!
Help us report season 11!
We want to hear your stories about work. Are you reevaluating your relationship with work? Contemplating a big change? Or stuck in a thorny workplace relationship? We want to hear from you, especially if you don’t work a typical office job! Just fill out the film below.
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