Telling Stories

A desk is a dangerous place from which to watch the world. John le Carre

It was 6:30 a.m. when I pulled into the driveway of the shelter where I work this morning. I had dropped C.C. off earlier at the airport to catch a flight to San Francisco. He's off for a 'men's weekend' retreat and I'm off to coach at Choices for the weekend.

I'm looking forward to immersing myself in a room full of people committed to living their best life yet, and I'm excited for C.C.s adventure. Proud of him for being willing to risk it. Though I did laugh when one of the organizers called and left a message for C.C. last week.

"We're going to send you back a great man," he joked.

"He already is a great man," I replied. "I'm hoping you send him back with a deeper belief in his greatness."

C.C. is excited, and anxious, about the weekend. Like Choices, he doesn't know a lot of what's going to go on -- it's not that it's secret, it is that finding our 'No' is easier when we are given more information then we can digest, particularly if we're venturing into the untried, unfamiliar, unknown. It's just the human way.

And I am excited about his journey. What a great adventure!

As we drove to the airport we chatted about 'personal growth'. "I see the growth in you over the past year," I told him.

"Hmmm. I don't see it as growth. Just deepening my understanding of me."

It's all in our perspective. It's all in the stories we tell ourselves, about ourselves, on ourselves.

We chatted a bit about current events, the Icelandic volcano and other such dire straits. I told him about an interview I'd heard on the news yesterday with a couple who had just caught the first flight back into Calgary from London.

"It was interesting to hear how dramatic their extra week in Rome became," I said. "They didn't sleep for a couple of nights. He had to stay up all night to protect his wife and their luggage. It was, in their telling, a scary situation."

C.C. laughed and said, "Sounds like they had your imagination at work in their telling."

I pondered his comment. Laughed. "True," I replied. "Except, I wouldn't have made it into a scary situation. I would have created it into a grand adventure!"

C.C. laughed too. "True. You seem to find the 'gift' in every situation."

Find Value In All Things.

How I tell a story determines how my story goes out into the world. It determines how I feel about the story. How I am perceived by those to whom I tell the story.

I can be the victim. Or the victor.

I can tell a story of trauma, stress, horror. Or, I can see the grand adventure in my story, see the value and the things I've learned that help me grow, help me deeper my experience of living a life of joy.

It's all in my story-telling.

As I drove into the drive-way of the shelter, client volunteers were sweeping the pavement. One found a small orange rubber ball and began to bat it around with their broom. Another volunteer joined in. It took them a few minutes before they saw me waiting to pull into the driveway for the parking garage. I didn't care. Watching the fun, the smiles, the laughter as these grown men, both of whom are currently experiencing homelessness, batted around an orange ball was worth the wait.

When they did see me, they stopped. Moved out of the way and let me drive past. I smiled and waved. They smiled and waved back.

It could have been different. I could have honked my horn. Impatiently gestured for them to get out of the way.

But that isn't the kind of story I want in my day.

I want stories of joy and laughter. Fun and exuberance. I want stories of life unfolding, on every street, that speak to all that is great, all that is magnificent about the human being, no matter its condition. I want stories that, even in the darkest times find the glimmer of hope shining, the flicker of possibility gleaming in the darkness.

I want stories that shine a light on life. Stories that make this one wild and precious life an adventure worth living.

And, to get the kind of story I want in life, I have to be my best story-teller. I have to be my story of this one wild and precious life unfolding with passion and joy, love and exuberance unfolding. I have to find the value in all things, and create worth in all that happens around me. And, when I tell of what I've seen, what I've witnessed, what I've experienced, it's up to me to create value in the world around me with my telling.

The question is: What kind of story are you telling on yourself today?