Having my documentary podcast canceled sent me into a sharp depression. I’d seen “ This Is War,” a podcast documenting the stories of combat veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as some of the best work I’d ever done.

I knew the show couldn’t last forever. It was expensive to produce and too heart-rending to be binge-able. Still, as with so much in life, the clock ran out sooner than I wanted. I'd moved on to my next project, a story about a cult murder, when I got an email from a veteran. He outlined his story for me and said he would like to be a guest on the show.

Even after the show ended, I responded to the emails by phone. I knew how hard it was for these servicepeople to put themselves out there and felt a personal explanation was due them.

The applicant would have made a splendid guest. He was funny and self-reflective, but also a genuine war hero who had served all over. When I called this person back to let him know the show was canceled, we chatted for a bit. He offered his condolences and reiterated how much he enjoyed the show. I thanked him and, as he could hear I was winding down the call he said this: “Um, do you think I could tell you my story anyway?”

He went on to explain that he thought I “got” veteran’s stories and supposed I was one myself. I am not, but I think that helped. I have never been in mortal danger, never seen a person die violently or otherwise. My ignorance helped the veterans better explain because once they understood how singular their stories were, they provided more context and detail than they otherwise might have. The veteran spoke for hours, about his childhood, his complicated with his father and father figures generally, his suicide attempt. In the end, he knew his story was heard and understood, which was what he really wanted.

Long before that conversation, I thought of my real life’s work as telling stories that would fade otherwise. I saw myself as something of a short-form documentarian, putting lives in context with culture and history. This was the conversation that convinced me I wasn’t being delusional, that I had skill to go along with my passion.

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