I'm somebody who likes to plan things out and know what's going to happen next, and I didn't know what was going to happen next.

I mean, the plan was quit job questions through intimate stories in the great outdoors. Today, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions

through intimate stories in The Great Outdoors.

Today is the show's second birthday, and we wanted to celebrate by looking back at some of

our favorite moments from stories we've aired the past two years.

We'll also give you a sneak peek at a few stories that are coming up.

Also, a quick heads up for all of our listeners

in or near Laramie, Wyoming. You are invited to a birthday party for Out There. It's tonight

at Cole Creek Tap from 5 to the stories.

Ma'an, how many orthopedic surgeries would you guess I've had at this point?

Oh, counting the hand and everything?

I would say that you've had four.

I've had eight.

Eight? Oh, my God, you poor bastard. Oh, I'm sorry.

You poor thing. That's terrible. You're not even 40.

I'm not even 30. Oh, God, you're not even 30. And I'm your mother. I suck. Okay.

I've just really enjoyed that feeling of, oh my God, I'm going to die, and then pulling off a move you didn't think you could do, and just the relief that you lived through it. It was a sheer terror that I try to recreate every single time I'm on the bicycle now.

One day, one of my work friends casually asked me if I like girls, kind of in the same way

that you'd ask a person if they like Guinness or Star Trek. It was the first time anybody

had ever asked me if I was queer, and it seemed so blauset. Answering honestly just seemed like

no big deal. So I said, yeah. He said, cool.

It was like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

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