Meet Danny and Annie, the ordinary couple wrapped in an epic love.
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In all the hackneyed Hallmark rhetoric about what great love is, and should be, we forget that great love stories happen all the time. Most are neither flashy, nor famous. They are brilliantly, thankfully ordinary, spinning the lives of everyday people into their own epic. For profound and moving proof, meet Danny and Annie.
The couple, married for 28 years, was interviewed by Storycorps, an oral history nonprofit dedicated to recording and cataloging the stories of everyday people. All the interviews (over 45,000) are archived at the American Folklore Center at the Library of Congress, and are often broadcast on public radio stations. Danny and Annie, a horse-betting clerk and a nurse, were interviewed at their home in Brooklyn. In a short animated video, they recount with incredible eloquence and candor their great love, from their first date to Danny’s final days spent battling cancer. At 3:09, Danny reveals their special secret. The story was shared on public radio, and the public response was well, you’ll see.
There were bigger-name stories I thought about posting today, but honestly, this video is the most important thing you should watch today. For the amount of frustrations and endless terrors we’re constantly reminded populate our world, it’s crucial to remember there’s this beauty too, however hackneyed that may sound. So, here’s your ordinary people news.
Write it down. Remember what made you smile, cry, what made you actually live. You could be epic too.
If you have a story you’d like preserved, make an appointment at a Storycorps location here. Check out tons more animated and recorded stories at the Storycorps website.
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Photoand Video: “Danny and Annie” Storycorps, directed by the Rauch Brothers, animation by Tim Rauch, produced by Mike Rauch and Lizzie Jacobs