Treadmills, and the Stories We Tell About Ourselves @LauraHankin

LUCY BURDETTE: You will have met today's guest before because I loved her first two books, HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT and A SPECIAL PLACE FOR WOMEN. She has a new book out this week and we're delighted to have her back--welcome Laura!

 LAURA HANKIN: Recently, during a podcast interview, the host asked me about my author bio. In addition to listing my writing work, my bio also mentions that I once fell off a treadmill twice in one day. As we laughed over the anecdote, I started thinking about the stories we tell about ourselves, and how they change over time.

First, the treadmill details. I was in high school and, as an anxious kid, worried that I wasn’t “well-rounded” enough to get into a good college because I didn’t do a sport. This was me back then, preparing to go on a long walk, the extent of my athletic ability.

But I thought maybe I could learn to run, and join the cross-country team. So after school one day, my friends and I went to the gym, and I tried out a treadmill. A few minutes in, I was feeling good, fantasizing about my sure-to-be-successful running career. And then I tripped over my shoelace.

I grabbed onto the treadmill’s handlebars while the belt dragged me backwards, the machine making a horrific squealing sound. Everyone turned to watch as I finally let go, flying off the back and collapsing in a heap on the gym floor. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life. But I’d read in a magazine that in moments of shame, you should dust yourself off and try again. So, determined, I stood up and got back on that treadmill, ready to show everyone that I wasn’t daunted! 

But I didn’t realize that you couldn’t just step back on to a fast-moving treadmill. I immediately fell off again, at which point the kind older man next to me said, “Maybe you should consider trying something else for a while?”

I went to the locker room and cried. I went back home and cried. I felt completely ashamed about it for weeks, and hoped I’d never have to talk about it again.

But maybe a month or two later, I was getting food with some classmates, and someone asked me about it. And instead of crying or covering my face, I told them. Somehow, it was fun, spinning it all out, including the most ridiculous details, making the listeners laugh. I felt an unexpected power, taking back the story. And now, it’s one of my favorite anecdotes about myself, so much so that I include it in my author bio! 

To be clear, I know that falling off a treadmill (twice!) is no big deal. But it’s an example of how we all go through tough things, and it can help to remind ourselves that someday, our current mess will make a really good story. I feel this way now about some past break-ups, career failures, and so much more. How wonderful, how healing, when you can take something that caused you pain, and tell it to other people to make them laugh, for catharsis, or to help others (and yourself) feel less alone. 

Have you found this to be true in your own life? And do you have any similar “treadmill moments," things you like to talk about now even though they once made you feel bad? If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments. And thank you to the Jungle Red writers for having me today!

Bio: Laura Hankin is the author of The Daydreams, Happy & You Know It and A Special Place for Women. Her musical comedy has been featured in publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post, and she is developing projects for film and TV. She lives in Washington DC, where she once fell off a treadmill twice in one day.

The Daydreams synopsis: A deliciously entertaining novel about the stars of a popular teen show from the early 2000s—and the reunion special, thirteen years after their scandalous flameout, that will either be their last chance at redemption, or destroy them all for good.

Back in 2004, The Daydreams had it all: a cast of innocent-seeming teenagers acting and singing their hearts out, amazing ratings, and a will-they-or-won’t-they romance that steamed up fan fiction forums. Then, during the live season two finale, it all imploded, leaving everyone scrambling to understand why.

Afterward, the four stars went down very different paths. But now the fans are demanding a reunion special. The stars all have private reasons to come back: forgiveness, revenge, a second chance with a first love. But as they tentatively rediscover the magic of the original show, old secrets threaten to resurface—including the real reason behind their downfall.

Will this reunion be a chance to make things right? Or will it be the biggest mess the world has ever seen? No matter what, the ratings will be wild.