Jay Rehak, author, animator and podcaster, recalls being frightened by a horror movie and his father's zen-like advice.

At the age of 6, Jay is sitting alone watching a horror movie that frightens him. When he runs to his father and tells him why he is scared, his father tells Jay, "Son, just change the channel." Jay does this and is immediately relieved. Now, as an adult, when his mind races to all of the potential horrors that might happen in real life, he calls to mind his father's sage advice

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Pull up a chair and tell me your memory.

(00:09):
Why does it matter to you?
I want to hear your story, your point of view.
Tell me what happened to you.
Hi and welcome back to Tell Me What Happened,

(00:32):
the podcast that teaches folks from all walks of life,
telling us one true story, one true childhood story,
and how that event, that experience has impacted who they are today.
I'm your host, Jay Rehack, and like you, I've had my share of childhood experiences.
Some of them traumatic, some of them dramatic, some of them just fun.

(00:55):
But I'd like to think that everything that's ever happened to me has made me a better person.
Now that may not be true, but that's what I'd like to think.
Tell me what happened is sponsored by Sidelining Publishing, publishers of quality books,
including Susan Salador's classics I've Got Peace in My Fingers, and One Little Act of Kindness.

(01:16):
They both make perfect gifts for little children for the holidays.
You can get them on Amazon or your favorite independent bookstore.
All right, before I go on one note, and that is that if you like what you hear or you'd like to be on the show,
drop me a line at jaycehack.com and come on and tell me your story.

(01:41):
We'd love to hear it. My audience would love to hear it.
One childhood experience and how it's impacted your life.
All right, today I have as my guest a person that I've known all my life, someone that is full of stories,
and his friends will attest, that person just so happens to be me.
Yes, I haven't been on this season and I thought I'd give you one of my childhood stories that's impacted who I am today.

(02:07):
So I tell this story, I was actually, my son just got married this past weekend,
and I was telling some of my nephews and nieces this story, and it's a very quick story, but it's just basically
the people who know me know that I do not enjoy horror movies, that I never watch them,
that they kind of scare me and also annoy me.
I say this with an apology to Timothy Troy, one of my former students who's a director of horror movies,

(02:32):
and all horror movie directors, I know that there is a purpose that you guys have and ladies have and people have,
but I just, I can't do it.
Anyway, so when I was about six years old, my parents in the middle of the afternoon decided that they were going to walk
across the street and meet some friends for like an outdoor barbecue,

(02:55):
and they left me back at the house with the television back in the old days,
and they had set up me watching an Abbott and Costello meets Frankenstein type of a movie,
and told me to enjoy the movie, and they left.
And after a couple of minutes of watching the movie, I got very, very scared, very scared.

(03:17):
And I got so scared that I ran across the street, and I ran up to my father, and I said,
Dad, Dad, I'm so scared, I'm so scared.
And he said, why are you scared?
And I said, because of the movie, because of the movie.
And he said to me, well son, why don't you just turn the channel?
And I said, oh, I ran back home, I turned the channel, and I was fine.

(03:39):
And the reason that I mentioned the story, and that is the story, is that I realized that at that moment,
and I've carried it with me ever since, that when things don't go right for me,
or when I start getting into my head about worrying about X, Y, or Z problems,
and it happens to me almost every night, the solution to my problem is pretty easy.

(04:01):
Just turn the channel.
And so that's what I've done in my life.
Whenever I get into a situation that, again, my brain just keeps on circulating
over and over and over again an issue, I think of my father, where he turned to me and said,
just turn the channel son.
And I was like, oh yeah, I guess I can do that.

(04:23):
So I've never watched horror movies because I don't like to think about them while I'm dreaming or anything else.
But I also, when I have unpleasant experiences, rather than dwell on them,
I do my best to sort of change the channel.
Well, that's my story.
I wanted to be a part of season four, and it is the holidays,

(04:47):
and I do think that sometimes I need something or someone to help me turn the channel on some of my thoughts.
I hope in prayer that you're able to change the channel when you need to as well.
And so I hope you enjoyed the story.
Remember, I welcome you to email me at JCReact at gmail.com if you have your own story that you'd like to tell.

(05:12):
So until next time, this is JCReact asking you all to please stay safe out there and try not to hurt anybody.