Journalists are taught that you have to see it to believe it. But award-winning Chicago journalist Jenniffer Weigel learned that’s not the only way of viewing the world. Weigel will share her journey to that conclusion in her one-person show “I’m Spiritual, Dammit!,” 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at Wayfarer Theaters, 1850 Second Street in Highland Park. “I decided to start compiling all these stories of things that had happened to me over the years,” Weigel said. “I felt like the more I shared these stories, the more it gave people hope because it’s a lot of evidence of these ‘winks’ from loved ones on the other side.” Weigel admitted that she initially was a “skeptical journalist.” That’s why she said she needed to document the things she had experienced. “I started compiling all these different stories and the next thing I knew, four books later I’m writing my fifth book,” Weigel said. She decided to develop her experiences into a show. “I’m not telling anyone what to believe,” she emphasized. “I’m just telling them what happened to me and they can decide for themselves.” Weigel said that her journey to spirituality began when her father, the late sportscaster Tim Weigel, passed away in 2001. “I didn’t believe in anything other than what I could see or touch,” she admitted. “The loss of my father sent me on a quest of trying to figure out what happens when we die.” Part of that journey involved Weigel interviewing many people who had near-death experiences. “In the last 10 years, I have really taken a deeper dive into bridging the gap between science and spirituality,” she said. She discovered that near-death experiences were far more common than she realized, noting that it is estimated that one in 10 people have had a near-death experience. Despite the seriousness of this subject, Weigel has managed to inject a great deal of humor into it. “If we can’t laugh, what’s the point,” she asserted. That laughter is one of the joys of doing this show for Weigel. She said that what she enjoys most about performing it is how much audiences laugh “and how they like to have conversations afterwards and how they share the stories that you can’t explain.” Weigel originally created this show around 2010 and performed it at a number of area venues. Last year, she created an entirely new version, which she first performed in Colorado. In March, she performed it at Oil Lamp Theater in Glenview for a sold-out weekend. She also performed it at the Laughing Academy in Glenview, followed by an October performance at the Wayfarer Theaters. “I’m just taking it where I’ve been invited and it’s been wonderful,” Weigel said. “I think so many people are seeking and trying to find a purpose to their life,” Weigel concluded. “There’s this desire to connect at a deeper level. I think more and more people are believing that there’s got to be more to our soul. Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.” Tickets to “I’m Spiritual, Dammit!” are $20. For reservations, visit wayfarertheaters.com/events. Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.