The idea of a lifetime commitment can feel impossible, when it can still fall apart in year 20, or year 30, or 35. My own parents’ marriage never made it that far, but some of my aunts and uncles did, only to find that after all those years, they too were better off apart.
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Part 2: My Grandmother, Marianne
My grandmother never sent presents for birthdays or holidays, and didn't expect us to either. She seemed to resist anything that felt like authority, convention and tradition; which is why it's so strange that she was once married to my grandfather — a Harvard-educated lawyer.
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Part 1: My Parents, Ellen and Tom
My parents divorced when I was eight years old — young enough that I don’t have a lot of clear memories of it, but old enough that I was definitely watching, listening, and learning. So I asked them both to tell me what happened, and got two pretty different stories.
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Introducing: Forever is a Long Time
When I decided to get married, every living member of my family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced. Apparently, I thought my marriage would end differently.Listen to Personally: Forever is a Long Time starting June 16, 2025.
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Introducing: Creation Myth
Introducing an upcoming season of Personally, called Creation Myth. Helena does not want kids. Her husband does. What else is the purpose of life, he keeps asking her, hoping she’ll change her mind. But after eight years he gives up and leaves. Lost and alone, she’s left with his question. What is our purpose? And what if it is already here?This series is an Official Selection of the Tribeca Audio Festival. Make sure you follow Personally, so you know when the full season becomes available, later this year.
When Ian Coss decided to get married, every living member of his family who had ever been married had also gotten divorced: parents, grandparents, and all his aunts and uncles on both sides — some of them twice. Today, he has questions: What is the value of a lifetime commitment? Are we doomed to recycle the patterns of behaviour we get from our ancestors? Are we all just better off alone? Forever is a Long Time is a five-episode series that weaves reflection and original music through Ian’s conversations with his wife and divorced family members — a look at love with people who have made mistakes.Get lost in someone else’s life. From a mysterious childhood spent on the run, to a courageous escape from domestic violence, each season of Personally invites you to explore the human experience in all its complexity, one story — or season — at a time. This is what it sounds like to be human.Hear episodes early and ad-free on CBC Stories Premium on Apple Podcasts.Season 1 | Run, Hide, Repeat: a story of a childhood spent on the run.Season 2 | Welcome to Paradise: a courageous escape from domestic violence.Season 3 | Short Sighted: an attempt to explain what vision loss feels like by exploring how it sounds.Season 4 | Sorry About The Kid: an emotional, deeply personal meditation on the loss of a sibling.Season 5 | Toy Soldier: The unbelievable story of a Jewish boy amongst Nazis.Season 6 | Forever is a Long Time: Every living member of Ian Coss' family who has been married has gotten divorced. Can his marriage end differently?
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