The Power of Story

 

 

Stories. We love them—even when we act too grown up to care. Our mamas read them to us before we fell asleep at night, we heard them in Sunday School, we read them in school. And now that we have heard all those stories—we each have our own.

When it comes down to it, research and evidence and all the “smart stuff” bogs us down after awhile. Some brains can handle more than others, but when we are really searching for answers, we turn to story.

We want to ask, “What has this philosophy, this belief, this product, this lifestyle done for you? Is there anyone out there, in real life, without a nametag that reads “Lab Rat”, that has done this? And was it successful?”

Some intelligent people scoff at story. They adjust their glasses down on their nose, peer over them at you and drone, “That’s just anecdotal evidence.” I would nod to that. But, in the end, evidence is evidence. And if something works for me in real life, right where I live, does it really matter what the test tube proves or doesn’t prove?

So, I’m not very old. Or very young. But I have a few stories. I’ve fallen and skinned my knees and found what doesn’t work. I’ve happened onto the right advice and the right resources in a few cases, and soared. In some cases, I fell hard and required surgery. Some of my highs have required letting go and waiting for the parachute to open.

I know you can relate. You know you have a story, too. Sometimes that paralyzes me. My stories are rather insignificant compared to yours, or hers, or his.

But you know that grand Story Book, the Bible? In its pages, there are stories of giant slayers, wars and kings and queens. But there are also stories of someone giving away her last two mites, someone else sweating for her food as a minority in someone else’s field and a woman who unknowingly sewed a legacy.

I’m going to share some stories. Some of them might sound like I’m pushing my belief system on you, or selling you something or being dramatic about something not worth the mention. But I’m at a place in my life where I’m hungry to learn from others and what they have to share from their own surgery and parachute experiences.

And I realize that sometimes others won’t share until I go first. So here goes. Are you with me?