Ira Glass on Storytelling 4 Part Series

Ok, you have 15 minutes to spare. You won't regret it.

A few memorable quotes:

"Not enough is said about the importance of abandoning crap"

I think I could apply this to so many areas of my life.

Be ruthless with your self, but don't despair. After some time, our guru promises...

"You will be fierce."

Fierce.

The Theater of Life

This morning I've been thinking about the miners from Chile. 69 days underground. They had to wear dark glasses to protect their weakened eyes. They were all pale.

Talk about a new lease on life. Wow.

I heard on the radio this morning that one of the men - maybe the one that they now call "Super Mario" went to the beach with his family and stripped down to nothing, surprising the flock of reporters, and ran straight into the ocean. Live life, right? His message to every one is to not get bogged down in trivial things, and just enjoy every day. I guess its always a good time to hear things like that.

Since my blog is dedicated to Stories of Hope, I thought that this one fits right in.

It has made me think

I want to worry less.

Enjoy myself more. Savor the small things.

Every day is a gift. Truly. I guess that is what "being present to the moment" is all about.

Then I'm sitting at work editing a story of a single mom who struggles to provide for her three kids. She told me about the ways that she works hard to find access to the services that they need. She lit up as she described the personalitles of each of her children. Her son, she said, has a great awareness of the Theater of Life. He loves playing with swords, and somehow gets the grandeur of this world. That expression really struck me for some reason.

Put up against the experience of the newly liberated Chilean miners, I'm sure that they are celebrating their roles in the theater of Life. Am I? Are You?

The Power of Stories

Any of you who know me, know that stories matter to me. A Lot.

And this is part of my regular speech about stories, why I love them, and why I am dedicating myself to helping others tell their stories and find meaning in their stories.

Unlocking the stories is a powerful thing.

There is power in the story.

There is power in the telling.

There is power for the person who tells their story in their own way and has a revelation.

I believe that stories can move people to change. Stories can inspire us into envisioning a new normal. But sometimes we get stuck in the old ways, themes, narratives and need a jump-start to think ourselves out.

Big shout-out today to David Osborn for recommending a few super cool links to me today.

#1) SmartMeme in San Francsico.

Here they write about The Power of Stories - Check it.

#2) Stephen Duncombe wrote a book called DREAM about the need to think and communicate in todays world in a way that will compel people to live beyond fast-food media & sound byte politics... I haven't read it yet, but it looks good.

Thanks David, SmartMeme, & Duncombe. I'm so glad knowing that other people who get it are out there.