Episode Summary
Believe it! Your life experience stories can lift up another person.
Episode Notes
Hello to you in Mohali, India!
Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday with questions carefully chosen to help you collect stories in the oral tradition or spark your own writing. Either way, you’ll say, “Thanks for the memories.”
My friend Gene was mulling whether stuff he knows should be passed on, if his stories would be of help. Nah. The best way for others to learn is to experience the ups and downs of Life themselves. So, no shared stories.
Here’s my pushback: You are not now nor will you ever be the first person who wonders if their experiences, trials, tribulations, mistakes, misgivings, victories, and so on are of use to someone else.
Yes, they are.
Why do I work on shipping daily 60 Seconds episodes? In the hope that someone needs and wants them, will be helped by them, maybe have a better life.
People are people; they will still touch fire to see if it’s hot. Our stories might just keep them from being burned alive.
Story Prompt: When have you helped someone with your Life experience? Write that story!
Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something. All that matters is you have a story.
This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories – stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts
Hey, Ali ~
I was re-reading a poem of David Whyte’s called Sweet Darkness. I have a CD on which he talks about writing the poem. He’s standing on the landing of his house between the 1st & 2nd floors. He’s looking out into the night, the darkness. When he sits down to write this shows up on the paper: “You must learn one thing.”
And then he asks himself: what is that 1 thing?
This shows up on the paper: “The world was made to be free in”
When I am afforded the honor & pleasure of seeing one of my posts back out in the world courtesy of Dennis Pitocco + the response to it I sit back in wonder, much as I imagine David Whyte did: You must learn one thing …… what is that 1 thing??? The answer comes from somewhere else.
As you wrote to me: “Exchanging our stories is truly what you wrote “People are people; they will still touch fire to see if it’s hot. Our stories might just keep them from being burned alive.””
This isn’t my wisdom; this is the organic nature of story coming from where it is to be heard.
With a bow for hearing my voice ~ Diane
We don’t always know, do we, if we share a story that this is just what somebody needed to hear/read that day or store in memory and remember once they run into a situation where they were that tad wiser because of one of our stories.
Going a little meta, perhaps it is not even the story, but by telling a story and describe how we afterwards drew out a nugget of wisdom for ourselves, we might encourage somebody else to look for the nugget in their own story. Perhaps they had never learned how to be introspective and missed out on the lessons their own life had already provided. Perhaps what we gave them was curiosity.
Hey, Charlotte ~
I believe that more often than not we don’t know how a story has landed on someone. I’m one of the luckiest gals in the world because I enjoy friendships/colleagueships with you and other like-minded souls on this platform. Sometimes I can learn how words sparked, created, inspired, motivated, calmed, provoked ….. the listener when they respond. Or, say when I get an email from a listener. It’s a rare occurrence. I wish I knew more about how this worked. Maybe it would feed a bit of my ego to learn how this or that helped him or her.
As Clarissa Pinkola Estes wrote: I did not become a storyteller; I came here as a storyteller, healer & guide. At the end of the day I have to claim that. And trust the process.
Also, it is the sharing – the community experience – that finds a home for someone. As you so generously wrote: “Perhaps what we gace them was curiosity.”
Exactly what I was taught be mentors 3 decades ago: story is a gift t the listener.
I learn so very much from you & how you greet the world ~ Diane
I do not believe that a human can live a meaningful life without ups and downs Diane F. Wyzga, JD
The ups and down may vary. The experience we gained from them also vary. Exchanging our stories is truly what you wrote “People are people; they will still touch fire to see if it’s hot. Our stories might just keep them from being burned alive.”
Thank you my friend Dennis Pitocco for sharing this post.