Personally: Creation Myth (CBC)

This episode of Personally is from an upcoming, 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 the purpose of life? Center your pleasure, says one childfree artist. Go for adventure, says a dear friend, and isn’t parenthood the biggest adventure of all? Be true to yourself, says a father who regrets having kids. Meanwhile, her friends without children are brutally honest about loneliness, aging, even dying alone. But they also show her what a life without children makes possible. Then Helena falls in love again. To her shock she finds herself wondering if she actually does want a child. Her search for purpose continues. But what if it is already here?

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.