Story Time.

Life is funny. It sends you little messages when you’re willing to listen to it. I suppose that is what mindfulness is all about. Lately….I’ve been listening.

I recently made a decision to pursue my writing as more than just a hobby or side gig. I decided to push past limiting beliefs and introversion and take this blog in a direction it hadn’t been on …. yet. Within a few days of making this decision I came across a quote that I had seen in passing several times before, but hit heavily with meaning this time.

Tell your story of the mountains you climbed. Your words could become a page in someone else’s survival guide. –Morgan H. Nichols

What a quote.

I have so many stories to tell and just as many reasons to tell them. We all do.

I found it poignant that when I posted that quote on my Facebook page, a friend commented that she had thought about writing her account of dealing with a difficult situation during the lockdowns yet felt that perhaps she shouldn’t because the stories of those dying alone from the virus held more importance. Those were not her exact words…but it’s the sentiment I felt behind them.

I understand this sentiment because for years I have kept my stories and my words…my mountains…to myself because I didn’t feel they were important enough. Trust me though…all stories are.

There is no such thing as a story too small or too large.

Three days after posting this quote I went on-line to check in on my tasks for the 90 Day Mastermind I am currently working on with the platform that has set me on this new path. At the precise moment I hopped on there was a live call with Tariq EQ Amawi, a well known speaker who has done TED talks on the art of storytelling. Again….life’s little messages.

I listened in as I cleaned the house and everything he said resonated deeply. He spoke about the importance of storytelling. How it is ingrained in us…in our DNA. Our ancestors sat around fires telling their stories. This is how we learned. It is how we knew what to do to survive, move forward, live.

Storytelling is how our traditions have been handed down for generations, and how we have kept the memories of our forefathers, and mothers, alive. It is those words, those stories, those messages that became our survival guides. Yet, sadly, that tradition seems to be dying off with each subsequent generation.

We take pictures on phones and upload them online. These replace the old, worn pages of photo albums that became storybooks themselves. Our words have shortened into 20 second soundbites.

We listen ardently to stories as children. One of my favorite things to do when working with the schools was read aloud. I could get even the most “too cool for school” 5th graders to sit quietly and lose themselves for a few minutes in the stories I read to them.

It’s what we’re meant to do….but it’s an art that seems to be getting lost. The art of listening, and the art of telling.

We have audio books and podcasts and those are great…but we can do more. We can share more.

So what’s the solution?

I don’t have one. I have only ideas. I think perhaps we continue to tell our stories both in person AND online. I think we need to stop being afraid of not having stories that are “big” enough, “important” enough, “powerful” enough.

Tell your funny stories. We need the comedic relief now more than ever.

Tell your health stories. We need hope and advice.

Tell what you’ve learned. Life is the best teacher.

That’s what I’ll be doing….I have always loved putting pen to paper, but never fully understood that it just might be my duty to write my stories.

I do know that it is the stories of other mother’s that helped set me on the path that helped save my son from the health issues he suffered when he was little.

It is the stories of the integrative doctors and holistic practitioners I then worked with who opened my eyes to what exactly is in our foods, water, air, products….and how our bodies work, react, thrive or suffer.

It’s the stories of friends who comforted me when I lost my dad that helped pull me through the grieving process.

It’s the memories of the stories my dad would tell me that push me forward and inspire me to teach my kids that when you come from the bloodlines of someone so courageous and full of integrity…you wear that badge with honor and live likewise.

My stories may sometimes be heavy, often irreverent, and at times will look just like a handful of health tips thrown your way. Sometimes big. Sometimes small. Hopefully relevant to someone, somewhere!

So what am I trying to get at with this random musing? I guess just to remind myself and anyone reading this that your words and ideas matter more than you can possibly imagine. You don’t have to write them….tell them in person, by phone, whisper them, shout them from the rooftops, sing them, paint them…just tell your story.

header photo by Socialcut at @unsplash

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