Tell The story

Last year I read Donald Millers "A million miles in a thousand years," and it totally rocked my world AND landed a spot in my top five all-times. It's all about the telling of the story, your story and the story of those around you.

So this applies in a more abstract sense to me of course but, also in a very literal way.

I am not ashamed to admit that, more often than not, I narrate myself in my head. Sometimes I do it in the Slapstick-Comedy movie way:

"And as she walked into the building for her interview, she failed to see the enormous green rug in the lobby. Tripping, she lost her shoe, spilled the contents of her purse and rolled up into the rug onto the elevator ."

Sometimes it's the existential melo-drama:
" She stopped to consider whether any tree had ever been so perfect and if there had ever been so listless a soul to stand under such a tree. She sighed for a life where her soul purpose would be to sit under a similar tree and read books.  "What meaning would there be to a life of reading?" She asks herself as she leaves the tree and walks into the library. She imagines herself choosing each book and thinking great thoughts. She sighs for such a life as her soul deflates and she enters her statistics class."

And of course there is the part Animal Planet, part Calvin and Hobbes:

"The lion watches its pray as it moves slowly across the plain (AKA the room). She watches with intention but appears to lack interest. The moments pass..... The unsuspecting pray turns to find her graceful form coming down in the swift and silent attack." (yes its a bit odd, I've read my share of Calvin and Hobbes).

It gets worse when I'm by myself because, as previously stated, I am hyper aware of whatever I am doing when I am alone.

I was reading "A.Lincoln" tonight, a fantastic biography of Abraham Lincoln. I started to think about the book that could be written about my life. I actually think of that a lot. What would it say? What would I not want it to say? Sometimes, before I do something I think I might regret I think "Maybe I need to do this so when they write the book about my life there'll be something controversial, something to show my humanity, something to exemplify the personal triumphs I overcome....etc." Yeah so, ok that sounds like rationalization and I usually end those "intellectual" thoughts by challenging my own logic. 

All this to say that my story (like yours) is very important. It's not for ourselves, its for others. Whatever we do, good or bad, however we feel , whether we are proud of it or not, struggle or triumph, we need to share our story. I can never be accused of holding back my honest thoughts, struggles, shortcomings because they are part of my story. And the triumph that will come (hopefully) is only half the story. Be willing to be honest, with yourself first, then others. Others need your story just like you need theirs to remind you you're not perfect, you are not the only one, there is hope, there is an answer. Don't save your narrations for yourself, truthfully share them and find there is compassion, forgiveness, love , relief and hope. Truth sets us and everyone else free to BE.

"And as she finished typing she looked around the room She regretted that she got fruit punch to drink because she knew it tasted gross after the first sip but she just kept drinking it hoping it would get better. She wondered why people always want to talk to you when you are trying to nap and considered how loud she might play her guitar before she would be considered a disturbance. She started picking her nails and so we leave her to another long, cold night in small town."