Watch

“Can You Pick Me Up?”

Creator:
Published:
December 18, 2023
November 13, 2023
An image of a man standing in a mountain landscape, pointing at the sky.

After graduation, John O'Connor made the bold decision to move out to Colorado to work on a farm.

Producer Jane: This is my brother, John. He asked if I would help him drive back from his job in Colorado over a thousand miles away. I said, "Sure."

John O'Connor: You want to see me climb that thing?

Jane: Yeah, sure.

John: For fun. You know? Something to do.

Jane: Be careful. I don't want you dying.

John: I won't. Oh my gosh. Looking down is the worst part. It's a good shot. You should get up here.

Jane: You can come down.

John: So, I just graduated from college a few months ago. I studied math and philosophy. This opportunity came up to work out in a farm in the Rockies, and I decided that, I don't know, do something different. 

(John fixes wire fence) I need some fence. You learn a lot about hard work out here. It's definitely been good for me. You can cut it to make it seem like I did a lot faster, right?

Jane: Yeah.

John: Oh man. I wanted to quit because it was getting... It's kind of lonely out here. There's only like 900 people in the nearest town and my family's all a thousand miles away. I didn't realize how much I'd miss them when I took this job. This is the grape graveyard. Call it the grapeyard. This one's a lot harder. Oh, it's really warm, kind of gross.

(John feeds turkeys)

Jane: Stop throwing it near me.

John: He's on top. Get off. Oh my gosh. Look at this one. This one's ugly as hell.

(John loads up car with boxes)

Jane: All right, where are we headed now?

John: Headed to go see Vern, my only friend in town. He's my 90-year-old neighbor, so I thought it'd be good to say bye before I headed out.

Jane, talking to Vern about his model train track: How long have you been working on this?

Vern: How long? I don't know. About 20 years. It is lonely here. I'm getting better all the time. You're young. You're ambitious. You haven't figured out, I don't think, exactly what you really want to end up doing in the end. You've got to do what you want to do in life.

John: Definitely.

Vern: Not what somebody else wants you to do.

(Footage plays from John and Jane’s drive home through the mountains)

John: Family relationships are definitely hard. When you're younger, you fight with your siblings and whatnot, and I would fight with my parents a lot too because I was a little bitch. When you get older, more mature, things sort of cool down and I don't know. It's easier. They're the people who understand you best and you understand them best. I feel like things make more sense when you're around them.

[Siri]: Turn right into the parking lot.

John: She will not lead us astray.

[Siri]: You've entered the parking lot for your destination.

(John and Jane arrive at a Cracker Barrel restaurant)

John: Yes, we have.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
December 18, 2023
November 13, 2023
On a related note...
What Casual Hookups Reveal About Our Inner Longing

What Casual Hookups Reveal About Our Inner Longing

Olivia T. Taylor

“The Road Trip That Never Ended”

“The Road Trip That Never Ended”

Migs Mignanelli

Breaking Up: When It’s Time and How to Do It

Breaking Up: When It’s Time and How to Do It

Grotto Shares

Dear Therapist: How Do I Recover From Multiple Bad Therapists?

Dear Therapist: How Do I Recover From Multiple Bad Therapists?

Grotto, Julia Hogan

Breaking Up Got You Down? Here’s Why: You Are Grieving

Breaking Up Got You Down? Here’s Why: You Are Grieving

Stephanie DePrez

A Playbook to Bring Faith into Your Mental Health Journey

A Playbook to Bring Faith into Your Mental Health Journey

Elizabeth Hansen

Helping Others with Active Listening

Helping Others with Active Listening

Anna O'Neil

Having a Panic Attack in a Costco Parking Lot

Having a Panic Attack in a Costco Parking Lot

Javi Zubizarreta

"Poker Night"

"Poker Night"

Megan Ulrich

How Emojis Have Transformed Communication

How Emojis Have Transformed Communication

Grotto

8 Easy Hacks to Remember People’s Names

8 Easy Hacks to Remember People’s Names

Isaac Huss

Why You Need a Life Advisory Board (Beyond Your BFFs)

Why You Need a Life Advisory Board (Beyond Your BFFs)

Chuck Lamphier

Hands-on Hobbies Got Me Out of the House — and Into a Community

Hands-on Hobbies Got Me Out of the House — and Into a Community

Clarissa Aljentera

Breakups are Another Face of Love

Breakups are Another Face of Love

Aldrin Nacu

5 Ways You Can Minimize Your Tech Use

5 Ways You Can Minimize Your Tech Use

Claire Collins

How Modeling Took a Toll on My Mental Health

How Modeling Took a Toll on My Mental Health

Makaela Douglas

4 Ways I Reclaim Control of a Crazy Busy Week

4 Ways I Reclaim Control of a Crazy Busy Week

Emily Mae Mentock

3 Ways to Prepare for Being a First-Time Parent

3 Ways to Prepare for Being a First-Time Parent

Kelly Sheredy

“Strength in Weakness”

“Strength in Weakness”

Lillie Rodgers

How and Why to Pursue Comedy as a Hobby

How and Why to Pursue Comedy as a Hobby

Brandy Norton

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.