Stories

[featherynscale]

I just spent about 20 minutes talking to my co-worker, Gregarious J. He's a talker (obviously), but mostly he comes by to talk about work, about policies and exceptions, how to manage his staff, and so on. Today, he came over to tell me about how he grew up running in the country, how he and his cousin were so fast that they could run through burning buildings and never catch fire (except one time when a burning board fell on his head, and he wore hats for three months, never telling anybody until long after his skin had healed and his hair mostly grown back), and how he (a pasty-white looking guy) joined the all-black fraternity in his college. Fascinating stuff, and this from a guy who I usually think of as friendly, but pretty dull.

That makes me think about story, and how critical it is for people to share stories with each other. How can you know someone if they won't tell you their story? How can you come to respect or care for anybody without that? So I wanted to thank you guys for sharing your stories with me, piece by piece, and for listening to mine. We won't ever know everything about each other, but every little bit helps. I love your stories. Please, keep talking.

Comments

[teross50.livejournal.com]

8-) Ty
T
t

[brandy22kc.livejournal.com]

that's what makes life so great is those little stories thats what makes us, well us...it's the whole butterfly theroy :D

[ysabel.livejournal.com]

Whups, I'm all out of stories. Completely dry. Gave at the office and all that.

[ysathora.livejournal.com]

And this one time, at band camp...

Stories are important

[crookedface.livejournal.com]

Stories are important, I think, and need to be treated with respect. I'm loathe to give out bits of my story at the drop of a hat--at least, the more important bits. I want to know that it will be handled with care and given respect. I think most of us have a tendency to use other peoples' stories as a means to decide whether or not we give them permission to be themselves. I'm trying to get to the point where the compassion flows freely without need of hearing a story, first.

Though I do love a good story. Helps to forget parts of mine.

[kellan-m-solan.livejournal.com]

People are complicated creatures. Even the dullest of the dull have some interesting twists and turns. In my youth (well, younger youth) I used to write a lot of people off. I made sure I spent some time with them first, but I felt that after a few months I could usually know whether or not a given person had anything exciting to offer.

Now, I know that I was COMPLETELY wrong. People can and will surprise you. Many of the most amazing, most illuminating, and most amusing things I've learned from other people came from folks whom I might have likened to cardboard, thirty seconds earlier.

[karinablack.livejournal.com]

i agree.
it's the quiet ones you worry about.

[wildnsquirrelly.livejournal.com]

But you already know most of my really good stories. Now I'm usually just making shit up.

Sure, I was probably doing that before, but now I have to keep making up new stuff.

[zylch.livejournal.com]

Just remember, 90% of what I say is bullshit.