This week's essay is about a deep, enduring friendship that starts in an unlikely place. Jeannie Vanasco writes about her relationship with a woman named Anita in her essay, "My Platonic Romance on the Psych Ward." It's read by actress and director Miriam Shor, who stars in TV Land’s “Younger" and the upcoming Netflix film "Lost Girls." Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

When people first come into our lives, it's impossible to know how important they'll become. Leah Keith writes about a man who came to matter a great deal to her in her essay, which is read by Marsha Stephanie Blake ("When They See Us") Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ("Game of Thrones") reads an essay about a man's long relationship with his wife — before and after a car accident that changed their lives. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

A lot of things can get in the way of love -- distance, money issues, being in different places in your life. But this week's essayist, Amanda Gefter, writes about facing a very different kind of challenge. It's read by Logan Browning (Netflix's "Dear White People"). Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

If Meredith Hall had to point to the year that her life changed, she would probably say that it was 1965. She was sixteen that year, and pregnant with a son. But more than two decades later, in 1987, her life changed again -- and that's the year she writes about in her essay. It's read by Marcia Cross ("Desperate Housewives," "Quantico"). Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

High school love is awkward, nervous -- and often unforgettable. It doesn't usually last. But in this week's essay, Mariclare Lawson writes about a high school love that broke all the rules. It's read by Amanda Seyfried ("The Art of Racing in the Rain.") Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Jessica Walter ("Archer," "Arrested Development") reads an essay by Sophy Burnham about how an unexpected encounter makes her consider how love and desire change with age. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Alana Dakin writes about two different tattoos in her essay "A Tattoo for the Living", which is read by Zosia Mamet ("Tales of the City.") Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Zoe Lister-Jones (CBS's "Life in Pieces," "Band-Aid") reads renowned novelist Lily King's story about the silver lining of heartbreak. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Can a tiny dog change the dynamics of a marriage? Zachary Quinto ("NOS4A2") reads Bob Morris's essay. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

What do you do when you're struggling to find a romantic relationship as deep as the relationship you have with your best friend? John Cameron Mitchell ("Anthem: Homunculus") reads Ephi Stempler's essay about a man considering a platonic life partnership. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Saturday Night Live's Cecily Strong reads a story about a woman's friendship with her doorman. This is an encore presentation. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.