Gratitude: We Get To Do This!

It’s Thanksgiving! And one of the things Angella and Leslie are thankful for is that they are hosting side by side (in a closet) again for the first time since their podcast launched. They also give thanks for the love and health of their friends and families and you, their  podcast listeners.  With that in mind the ladies recount some of the comments and  reviews they’ve received and brag about the over 600 downloads Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn has garnered in less than a month after it’s inception.

We’re enjoying BLK& Bold Coffee  blkandbold.com 

Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hey Les. Hey Ange. How you doing?

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Doing well. We're together because you, you, and I back together again. Got this world in a space.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

Why are we so happy?

SPEAKER_02 0:25

Because we're together. We are in the same space. Closet. We're in a different closet.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Actually, but we're recording together.

SPEAKER_02 0:36

In the same space. This is like the first time we've been back together recording. Since the beginning. Yeah. Yeah. So it's nice to have you next to me. So, guys, I can poke her if I want. If she gives me a hard time, I could just, you know, like make her regret it. You know, all the things.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

But I'm also going to say something that's really funny. We have been recording solo through via Zoom for so long that we actually forgot how to set up our equipment. And it just took us about two hours to get everything back together again. So I guess we're not so educable, but we'll get there.

SPEAKER_02 1:16

Listen, what can always be said about us is that we don't give up easily. We are intrepid and determined. And so it did take us a long time, but we love the win. We love the win. So we stay in it to get to the win. The other reason why we're excited is because it's Thanksgiving week. So when you hear this podcast, Thanksgiving would have just finished because it's probably going to post next week. But it's Thanksgiving, and we are so we have so much to be thankful for. So very much. We have our lives, obviously. We have our savior, we have our family. We have you guys now as our extended family. And we're really, really excited because in less than a month, we are over 600 downloads. And probably I'm going to put it out there because we're like at 640 now. And I'm going to put it out there that we're going to be well over 700 downloads by the time you hear this one. So it's really, really exciting. We're so grateful.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

And I'd like to jump in right now because there are several things that I'm really thankful for. You mentioned uh some of the obvious things we have our health, and we talked briefly about that in the car earlier today. There are people that are not as fortunate as we are. And one way to frame what I'm talking about is that we actually get to use our bodies in ways that we choose to use them. And thank God, right now, we don't have any limitations. We're not walking with assistive devices, we've not had major surgeries where we're impaired, and not everybody can say that. So I'm really thankful about that. One other thing I just want to mention is that I'm very thankful that my mom has had some health challenges recently. And thank God she's out of the rehab facility where she had to go for some muscle strengthening after an injury she sustained. So she's back home. She's motivated to continue to get better. So I thank God for her healing. As usual, I always want to mention that my son is continuing to improve. His health is really good, he's his checkups are great, and that new kidney is peeing up a storm. So they call it why do you do that to my nephew? I know. They call it liquid gold, but it's just pee.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

It's that's gold, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:02

But thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

That's gold. All right, so let me just mention what we're sipping on, right? Yeah, that that's a that's a good idea. So we're sipping on this amazing new coffee that we're trying called Black and Bold. It's a specialty specialty coffee. And I'd heard about it on I think it was some public radio station that I listened to. It is a black-owned brand. And let me tell you, these two women here we support black-owned businesses with seriousness, with seriousness. And so Leslie came across this in Target. So y'all better go check this out. Five percent of their profit goes to the youth. So let me read what it says on the package. It says specialty coffee meets community impact. Black and bold was born to assist disadvantaged domestic youth with defying their odds in pursuit of living their best lives.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

Wow, that sounds familiar to us, right?

SPEAKER_02 5:13

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. In turn, creating a better future for all of us. Therefore, 5% of all profits are contributed to initiatives across the U.S. that further this imperative. Listen, we are not being sponsored by them in any way. We're not being sponsored by anyone at this point.

SPEAKER_01 5:33

We're just enjoying the coffee right now. Yes. And I'll shake a bag for us.

SPEAKER_02 5:39

And it's just a beautiful bag. It's a beautiful bag.

SPEAKER_01 5:42

And bing! And we clink our glasses.

SPEAKER_02 5:46

And um, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

So that's another thing to be thankful for. A good cup of coffee.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

A good cup of coffee by a black-owned brand, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

So anything else you got, Ann?

SPEAKER_02 5:56

So what I got is some qualitative data. We talked about the numbers. The other thing that is important to us, even more important to us, are the reviews that we have been getting about our podcast. We have been blown away. It is so restorative to our tired souls when we hear from you. And we are so grateful for all of those um reviews that you've been sending in.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

Yeah, and it's just heartwarming that people take the time out to really push up and and speak to us. Yeah. You know, most people that leave reviews, you often get motivated by things you don't like. Right. You know, we we speak out about um oh, we were wronged, or we didn't care for the service we paid for, and all. So people are coming out with positive reviews, and it is just so heartwhelming, warming, and we thank you, and we just we're loving it.

SPEAKER_02 7:01

Yes, we are.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

So let's let's talk about some of that. Okay, so what I'm thinking while you were speaking is how you and I first started discussing the idea of putting out a podcast many months ago, actually, probably years ago, but it really got real a few months ago. And I thought that it was a fun thing to do, and people might be interested in what we had to say to each other. Actually, these are normal conversations that we have with each other.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

They are, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:33

But you were the first to bring up the fact that this might be helpful to people in different ways.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

And it might be inspirational and it might actually move people to action who might have been, I think the words you may have used are stuck in certain ways.

SPEAKER_02 7:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:54

And I gotta tell you, as you just said, not one month into our recording and the birth of this podcast, the personal, heartfelt feedback that I'm getting, that I'm seeing one online that people are taking the time to post. But also the so many people that are coming up to me personally and saying what this means to them is just like wow, my mind is blown. So I don't want to really say that you were right. So I'll just stop right here.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

In case it starts to slip out, I'll just stop right here. You are a piece of work. I already have it written down like 10 times, you saying that I'm right. I've had it recorded, all the things. So there's no there's no turning back.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

I know whispered it in in my sleep. It might have come to you in a dream. But yeah, it's it's we're making an impact.

SPEAKER_02 9:05

We are, and we will continue continue to do so. When you told me about the, and I know you're gonna talk about this one, the person who came up to you who you would never think would have anything much in common with you, and how he saw himself. Why don't you tell tell me about that?

SPEAKER_01 9:24

Okay, so one early morning as I was about to go, I was at work and I was about to go see a patient, a colleague of mine who I'm friendly with, a person that I've always known to be super professional, very stoic, an excellent clinician. Quiet. He stopped stopped me in the hallway, and I looked at him and just makes me a little emotional thinking about him.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yeah. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

He's somebody that I respect a whole lot. But I'm getting emotional because I'm picturing the way that he looked at me.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

First of all, I had to teach him how to load the podcast onto his phone.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Each one teach one, Les. Each one teach one. He just kept saying, I'm not, I'm not very technical. So I showed him in three easy steps how to listen to my podcast. And then when I saw him some time later, he was teary-eyed and said that I was telling his story when in our episode of me describing my path to medicine, what the sacrifices that I had to go through and when I entered medical school at a later age. And he said that he emigrated from another country and actually came here in his mid to late 30s and had to go through all of the hurdles that it took, not even knowing the language when he came. It was such a touching moment to me. And unfortunately, as I said, I had to leave to go see my patient. But it's something that it cemented a bond between us for sure.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:29

And I also made a mental note that I want to revisit that moment again, you know, when I see him. But again, it was like my mind was blown.

SPEAKER_02 11:39

I could have been.

SPEAKER_01 11:40

He said, You you're telling my story.

SPEAKER_02 11:42

Wow. And hopefully we will be able to show a picture of the two of you together on our website so people can really get a good sense of how surprising the fact that you and he share such a story, such such um similarities in in your in your story.

SPEAKER_01 12:04

And it just goes to show when you look at different people, you never know their story. You never know. You never know their paths, you never know the things that connect them. How people's lives intersect.

SPEAKER_02 12:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

But you don't know unless you start speaking to people and unless you share your story.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

So um, yeah, that was very moving for me.

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Yeah. Me too. I got all choked up when you when you showed me his picture. Yeah. He just looked like a a big teddy bear, and I could I could see him getting emotional with you about that.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:41

Well, I'll tell you some feedback that I got, and I'll actually read you what was written to me. This is from a friend named Monica, and she wrote, I want to hug you right now, listening to the podcast. Thank you for sharing your lifelong friendship, experiences, and spirituality in the podcast. I have to share it with the kids and my besties, looking forward to more. Aww. So her two children are both in medical school. And uh maybe a day after I got this text, her husband called me, and he had been listening to it too. He's an engineer, you know. So he had been listening to it too. And he asked me actually if you would consider going to their their schools to uh speak to them about your journey. He was so moved by the the podcast also. So, you know, you you never you never know. And and I know that it's it's not always easy to share your story. To me, this is all this is all testimony that that we're sharing in in the podcast, right? Like we share so much about our journey to get to where we are right now. And I I don't want to make it seem like it's easy for everybody to to share, but it is so important. You never you may not think that your stories are that unique or or special or or that people may find particular value in your story.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

But I guarantee that they will.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

And this is something that you tell me all the time. To me, I don't think that things that I've done is is that unique or special or you know, even looking back, I I guess so, but in the moment, you know, I do the best I can. It's just me and it's not that hard. You know, I kind of you kind of forget how how the difficulties or the hurdles that you've had to go through until you're reminded or you look and it's way back in the rear view mirror. And it's like, wow, I did that. I did that, you know.

SPEAKER_02 14:59

That's right, that's right. And sometimes it's just showing up, right? You know, me, I feel myself going off on a tangent, but I promise I'll come back around. I'll come back around. What I'm thinking about is when, you know, I would be getting my children ready to to go to church, you know, on Sunday mornings, and you know, sometimes they didn't they don't want to go. And I would say to them, you know, you never know who at church is gonna need to see you, right? It may be something that you say, but it just could be you showing up and they see something in you or they recognize something about you, or you remind them that you know they're the fact that they're they're young, you're still coming to church. There's so much that you don't know about how God is going to use you in different circumstances, and all that He requires of us is to show up, is to show up, even if you don't know how you're gonna be able to bless other people. So I just kind of wanted to say that out loud that that's what you and I decided to do here is to show up. And um, we we hope and pray that the podcast continues to be a blessing to more and more people and just help help you along in your journey.

SPEAKER_01 16:19

Yeah so um and sometimes get to see yourself in some of the things that we've discussed, some of the funny things or serious things, or you know.

SPEAKER_02 16:31

Mm-hmm, for sure. Okay, what else? What other um feedback have you gotten? Because I know there's plenty. Did I say that? Did I say that we're over 600 downloads? Did I mention that already? Because guess what?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

It's it's well over 600. And you just keep counting. And you you you like tell me this twice today. Wait, it's like stock. It's like my stock. It's like yes. So you say, Les, have you seen how many downloads we have so far? And I'm like, no, well, but if there's 600 downloads, then there's really subscribers. It's subscribers. And I gotta say that you and I kind of got into it last night about downloads versus subscribers. And you're like, but downloads are more important. And I'm like, well, explain to me why.

SPEAKER_02 17:16

Yeah, it's why. Actually, subscribe. Well, anyway, yeah, um, but mumbo jumbo. The the the point is you need to listen to me, okay? That's the point of all of this. You need to listen to me because I know what I'm talking about. Always. Just just that is like your default. Just listen to what I have to do. Right. This is my jam. This is my jam.

SPEAKER_01 17:39

I get it. Okay. So we got over 600 downloads, man.

SPEAKER_02 17:45

We may have closer to 700 by the time this this one is posted.

SPEAKER_01 17:51

So here's another incident that was really, really cool. Another colleague stopped me in the hallway, and she had just listened to, I think it was our first episode again, where I described how my son went to live with his dad for a number of years in order for me to complete medical school and all of that. And she is a nurse with a child. I think he's an adolescent or probably a young, an older adolescent at this point, uh a tween maybe. But she also very seriously started telling me how the sacrifices that she made pursuing her career for her family and her child, how it may have negatively impacted him. And she feared that spending time away from him during her course of study and the sacrifices that the family had made. And she really mentioned that she had hoped that her son understands, you know. And we had a brief conversation, and I said that sometimes children they don't understand.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:05

But what's children? Because they're children. And what you take solace in is that as their mom, you do what's right for your children and for your family, and then hope also that as they grow older they get to see the sacrifice and learn the lessons and then understand what it is that you've done for them.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

You know? But again, she saw herself in my story. In your story. Yeah. And had the courage to tell me about it.

SPEAKER_02 19:35

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

So validating, it's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

I love that. Yeah. So Valerie said, You and Angela formed your sorority built on your strength of having had influential, resourceful black women in your lives who loved you, who in a way fended for themselves by doing for their families for by doing for their families. Angela's mother and your grandmother's sewing traditions. I just had my grandmother's treadle sewing machine restored. I watched her make quilts. I'm restoring some of her quilts. I treasure them. She showed me, yeah, that's so wonderful. She showed me unconditional love. Everybody, unfortunately, has not had experienced unconditional love. Thanks for sharing with us. Thank you for your testimony. I like that one. Another can sew. She can sew.

SPEAKER_01 20:34

And and let me tell you about Valerie, who is someone that I've known for more than 25 years. Wow. A very close friend. And she and I have formed a sisterhood that's very special. We don't see each other as often as we'd like, but when we do get together, it's just magical. She's a dancer, a real creative person. Whenever she's with me, when we're out having dinner, going to see shows together, she mentions her grandmother and her grandmother's quilts. And I've never taken the opportunity to share with her my story of my grandmother and sitting at her knee watching her sew and learning to sew from her. And it's not until Valerie listened to that episode, Can She Sew, that we realize that yet another connection that we share. Man.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

I love that. I love that. It's it's it's funny that um, you know, some of the experience of experiences that we've shared so far, our families have been listening also. And some of these things are surprises to them. And I wonder, it's like, oh my gosh, should I should I should I start telling my children like you can't listen to episode five. can listen to because it's they're you know they're going to get more and more we we have a lot we have a lot of uh opinions and um different points of view on all kinds of topics and you know I have to say that it may seem like let's say for me because you know I'm right brained it may seem that this is like eh it's it's just so easy for Angela to just go on here and and and talk maybe uh maybe it is assumed that Leslie's the one that that may struggle with being so open and vulnerable. But I have to say that it's not that this comes particularly easy for me. What makes me really want to open up is because I do feel like it's something that I should be doing like I ought to be doing like this is something that that God wants me to do.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

And so because Yeah that's how you've been presenting it to me. So whenever I'm resisting you're like but Les we have to do this. It's like we owe them it's our calling it's our testimony.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

And I'm like all right all right all right I'll set up the microphone it's so true.

SPEAKER_02 23:16

We've already gotten this level of feedback plus tons of stuff that we're getting on social media and you know it took a while for us to manifest this and I think the timing is right. We haven't had any 45 years. So I do I do think it is um work that we should be doing. Wait I I almost want to ask you one of the questions that that I I plan to ask in another podcast I think I'm gonna ask you we'll do it at another podcast I don't know um did we finish our our reviews and feedback? Uh let's see because this is you trying to divert me. I understand that and I don't know if I'm gonna let it work but I think those are the ones I gathered. Well there's another one here that says I'm in love with the show and the conversation between the both of you just wanted to tell you it's going to be a great funny and awesome show for you guys and whoever is listening I'm your number one fan.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

I can't wait for the next episode yeah your voices are so soothing soothing they must mean my voice is it my voice I think it was my voice you know I hear that more than anything else I gotta tell you that's like of the first things that I've heard of many people have said your voices are so soothing and I'm thinking like man are they really kidding me you know every time I I hear my you know I have a hard time listening to these podcasts because I don't care for my voice particularly and I'm like why didn't I get that speech therapy when I wanted to many years ago you don't need no speech therapy oh I have this other one that I I scroll down it's from Kay and it says OMG flying to New York City and listening to the Faith podcast and just cracking up yeah so we appreciate the feedback so much please do keep sending it our way it is a reciprocal experience here right we're we're giving and we're also receiving and so it does matter it does matter to us when we hear from you as I mentioned already these these reviews and just being reminded by you all that we are doing a really good thing a really helpful thank you guys so much for listening for your feedback it means so very much to us please please keep it coming and um we how many downloads do we have oh let's see wait we might have gone up no no no I'm just kidding but thank you again for listening to Black Boomer Besties from Brooklyn