Episode 45: April Is the Cruellest Month

So, we were off for the past three weeks due to illness — not COVID, but each of us had bad colds that interfered with podcasting and life in general. Fortunately, we’re more or less back now. Until the next thing happens.

In this week’s episode, we first talk about the bizarre weather we’ve had over the past few weeks, including torrential rains, gale force winds, and, yes … snow. Which, to be fair, is not all that unusual in April in this part of the world.

We then turn to the thirtieth anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s death, which came just three years after the death of Dave’s brother under similar (but not identical) circumstances. Which leads to a conversation about whether this time of year may have a negative affect on some people’s mental health. After all, April, as T.S. Eliot famously said, is the cruellest month (that’s his spelling, not ours).

From there, we have an extended discussion about mental health and our own journey with it. We don’t, of course, offer unsolicited advice (as so many people do!) other than to say that each person has to deal with their mental health in the way that makes the most sense for them. We simply encourage people to deal with their mental health as they deal with their physical health: Take it seriously, talk to your doctor or other health professional, consider the options, and, most of all, take positive steps to control the things you can control.

We hope you listen to this frank and personal discussion, and please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. We hope that, by talking openly about these issues, it will encourage others to share their experiences — or just give some serious thought to their own mental health and what they need to live happier lives.

Finally, we talk about George Constanza’s weird obsession with death and how to be more philosophical about it, and we chat briefly about NCAA basketball tournament season, the women’s final (which had not yet taken place at the time of recording), and Illinois’ women’s team winning the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament

So, we hope you enjoy the show, and please feel free to follow us on Instagram (@jenn_and_dave). You can also follow us on the site formerly known as Twitter, where our joint account is @JennandDave1 and the podcast account is @itsotetPodcast. Until next time!