Storytelling
The aliens probably watch us the way we watch reality shows.
They probably have their favorite humans and watch their lives unfold as their seasons here on Earth start and end.
(These are sober thoughts.)
I’ve always loved a good story since I was a child. My mother would read to me all of the time. One of my favorite books was entitled “Jake and Honeybunch Go to Heaven” by Margot Zemach and it may sound morbid, but it was about a man and his mule who traveled through heaven. A heaven filled with black angels, with people who looked like me and my family, celebrating with each other. Growing up I continued to love reading even asking for books one Christmas and finishing an entire novel the same night. (I still have that book in my closet somewhere.)
What I loved more than reading was eavesdropping listening to the adults having conversations around me. After a certain age I didn’t want to hang out with the kids, I wanted to sit at the adult table and listen to them talk about life, reminisce and tell stories about past especially when their inhibitions were gone and they were completely unfiltered. I learned so much about different members of my family, it never even bothered me hearing the same stories being told at different gatherings.
It’s interesting to hear about how other people have navigated through life in such different ways and somehow there are experiences many of us have in common. What makes people make the decisions they do? If you take the time to listen to those around you, you’ll find that’s where the best stories lie. Human experiences are my favorite stories to listen to. How did they live, their thoughts, how did they celebrate their wins and overcome their obstacles? How did they discover what they loved and how did they pursue it?
There was a time in my life where I spent too much time daydreaming the life I wanted instead of living in the world around me. A world of fantasy and fairy tales. It finally hit me one day that I could go out and create my own story, that’s the exciting part! My story is now one to share with other. The more I let myself be vulnerable and share those experiences, the more my life expands. I truly believe I can create my own fairy tale in this lifetime. A life I’ve read about and fantasized about, spent hours day dreaming about.
As much as other people’s lives and our environments influence us, how has growing up with these stories both scripted and authentic affected us in our daily life. How is consuming so much media online affecting us as a society in the long run? (I’ve got a few ideas, but we gotta chat about that another time.)
