It's hard to give things up. Host Ira Glass tells the story of Walter, a three-year-old boy who had to give up his pacifier, and then, wanting comfort, asked all the adults around him to tell the stories of when they gave up their pacifiers. (4 minutes)

Act One. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Nubar Alexanian was forced to give up one thing — and then gave up another thing by choice. This story was put together by Nubar and his daughter Abby, with help from Jay Allison, for Transom.org, with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It originally appeared on Transom's site, where there's an ongoing discussion about the story.

Act Two. The Journalism of Deprivation.

Sarah Vowell introduces you to a magazine that — if you're lucky — you've never had to read. A magazine called Living Without. Her story is part of the Hearing Voices project, which gets funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (6 minutes)


Song: " Without You," Mariah Carey


Act Three. The Call of the Great Indoors.

Every week, Chelsea Merz has lunch with a homeless man named Matthew, in the same restaurant. Matthew's been on the street for seven years, but once or twice a year, he housesits for a friend. She talked to him after he was housesitting for 16 days, on the day he went back out on the street. This story is part of a larger project Chelsea is putting together, with help from Jay Allison, the Cape and Island NPR stations, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (8 minutes)

Act Four. Tin Man.

Sometimes it's hard to figure out if you're doing something of your own choice or because someone wants you to do it. Actor Matt Malloy reads "Guilt," a short story by Judith Budnitz, from her collection of stories called Flying Leap, about someone called to donate a heart. (23 minutes)