Haydee [00:00:30]:
Hello there. Welcome to Voluptuous Questions! My name is Haydee, and today, I’m excited to interview YOU. Recently, I was listening to old songs on Spotify while I was having lunch. They were songs I loved, but I hadn’t heard for MANY years. And it led me to remember I used to listen to them on the radio, and it dawned on me that I was SO thankful for radio DJs. I’ll tell you why in a minute. But first, let me ask you today’s question, which is, who is someone you should thank and would thank if you could, but whom you’ve never even THOUGHT of thanking before? I know, this is one of those questions that’s a little harder to answer because we’re not often asked who we would do something for if it didn’t even occur to us that we should DO something for them.

Haydee [00:01:37]:
Oftentimes, we take A LOT of people for granted, even those who are near and dear to our hearts. We overlook them, OR we may appreciate their work, but not them as individuals for some strange reason. This often happens when we appreciate a service, a group of people, or a company, but never take the time to zero in to thinking about the individual themself. We are ALL guilty of that, and I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve done this, too. Although I’m becoming MUCH better about valuing people, the people who TRULY deserve to be valued and telling them that I value them. Not only with words, but through my actions. So REALLY take a moment to think about WHO that thankless person in your life has been and share with me who it is by visiting @VoluptuousQuestions on TikTok, leaving a comment on today’s show notes by visiting www.voluptuousquestions.com/podcasts, OR sending me a private message on www.voluptuousquestions.com/contact. Better yet, if you still have the opportunity to thank them, please reach out to them and thank them while you still can.

Haydee [00:03:15]:
So as I already revealed, for me, some of THE most amazing people that I, unfortunately, never got the opportunity to thank, were radio DJs, especially the ones from a favorite station of mine that no longer exists. Can I be vulnerable with you? I’ve experienced many losses in my life, but seeing this radio station dissolve when there are stations that have been around for literally decades is something that still hurts, ESPECIALLY because that same radio station is broadcast in other states, but not the state that I used to listen to it from. So the loss almost feels personal. You know what I mean? The radio DJs from THAT particular radio station were AMAZING. Literally, THE BEST. Not only were they friendly and wonderful conversationalists, but they ALSO had impeccable musical tastes. Their tastes were all excellent and diverse, and they introduced me to a world of romantic and pop songs that will FOREVER be part of my life. They played everything from the most popular artists to some of the most obscure treasures and everything in between.

Haydee [00:04:50]:
They played the upbeat songs that made me dance and songs that even to this day make me cry. By the way, I ACTUALLY have a Spotify playlist of songs that make me cry. I recommend that you create your own. Categorizing at least some of my music by how it makes me feel, comes in handy. You know how some people open up their curtains and blinds every morning to let the sunshine in? To me, my sunshine has ALWAYS been music. I let that sunshine in through a dial, a switch, or a button, and let the melodies brighten my life and make my existence MUCH better and MUCH more meaningful. The radio DJs from this favorite station of mine were like friends. So much so, that I have to admit, even though it’s a little bit embarrassing for me, that I had a crush on one of them.

Haydee [00:05:54]:
His voice made me melt. LOL! Yeah. I listened to him and some other radio DJs since I was 13 years old until I was an adult. Ironically, one of my female cousins knew him personally and she said she could introduce me to him if I wanted to, But she warned me again and again that he wasn’t as handsome as his voice sounded. LOL! That happens, right? A lot. In case you’re wondering, no, I actually never met him. I did, however, see video of him on YouTube many, many, many, many years later. And you know how it is when you meet someone only through their voice.

Haydee [00:06:44]:
You might think that they’re GORGEOUS, but then you meet them and they’re usually less attractive than what you imagine them to be. Not bad looking, but just, you know, a little bit less attractive. Every now and then, I play my radio recordings from back then and enjoy his voice and the songs he used to program. It’s WONDERFUL to reminisce about this beautiful time in my life. One of my ABSOLUTE favorite events that he did every year was his Valentine’s Day special. He would promote it very well every year. And on February 14th, I stopped everything I was doing, (and I hardly ever stop, especially nowadays) just to lay in bed, listening to those romantic songs in the dark and singing them. It’s one of my favorite memories about being alive, and I have a feeling that it’s one of those memories that I’ll remember very close to my last breath.

Haydee [00:07:53]:
It’s one of those memories that I treasure because it made me feel so alive, and I’m getting teary just thinking about it. Music can be so intense, so deep, so magical that a lot of magical romantic songs programmed for a special day in which we celebrate love is one of those things that makes life worth it. Radio DJs like him accompanied me through many moments in my life when I was doing the endless amount of advanced placement homework I had, cleaning, driving short and long distances, and working. They became part of my world, especially when I was physically alone doing these activities. They were my constant company, and I WISH I would have at least written them a letter, sent them a thank you card, or sent them an email expressing my deep and sincere gratitude. It almost makes me want to cry knowing that they DON’T know how incredibly important they were to us and that they will most likely never know. Just like some social media platforms can give us a sense of connection nowadays, back then, radio DJs influenced our life VERY positively.

Haydee [00:09:24]:
And instead of sometimes distracting us from our lives, they became PART of our lives AND our daily activities. Of course, all radio DJs are worthy people, But since my favorite station stopped existing about 13 years ago, for me, a good radio DJ is someone who remembers that they’re serving a WIDE audience and are able to play one incredible song after another. Thankfully, most radio DJs are able to do this, at least on the 2 radio stations I now listen to from time to time. However, last year when I needed to drive for over an hour and I unfortunately couldn’t get my Spotify app on my phone to connect to my car. I went to one of those stations I listened to that isn’t as good as the station that no longer is with us, and OMG! During ALL of that entire time driving, they didn’t play a SINGLE song that I liked. It was INSANE. I don’t know how I could STAND listening to them.

Haydee [00:10:38]:
As a matter of fact, I turned off the radio for a while because it was THAT bad. I turned it back on in the hopes that at least by chance, they played one good song. SOMETHING! But nope. It was all bad. That was the only time in my life that I’ve ever questioned a radio DJ’s taste. And in case you’re wondering, I DID try the other station, but they had a lot of radio ads and I didn’t like the songs they were playing either. I wouldn’t do this podcast justice if I didn’t mention one of the all-time radio DJ Queens, Delilah.

Haydee [00:11:23]:
She has a beautiful voice and A LOT of radio experience. She’s empathic and wise and has made many of our nights more heartfelt and romantic, especially when driving home on a highway. So I look forward to hearing who you would thank and if you gathered up the courage to ACTUALLY thank them. THAT would be AWESOME, and I would give you a high five for sure if I saw you and you told me that. And until we meet again, remember, YOU’RE the star of this podcast and the star of your life. Keep shining brightly always. ✨⭐️✨