Author Richard Kearney says in his book On Stories “Telling stories is as basic to human beings as eating. More so, in fact, for while food makes us live, stories are what make our lives worth living.”
Isak Dinesen says, “To be a person is to have a story to tell. —”
Author David Denborough, Ph.D., writes “Who we are and what we do are influenced by the stories that we tell ourselves…There are many different events in our lives, but only some of them get formed into the storylines of our identities. Whatever storyline we have about our lives makes a difference in who we are and how we act.”[1]
Through a story, we can pretend to be somebody else or go somewhere else, without taking on the risks or expense ourselves. We can even do the impossible, like travel through time or explore the universe. Kids play pretend from a very young age, and through various kinds of stories, we never really stop.
The stories we love to hear, read, and watch and the ones we tell ourselves, shape our lives. These stories shape how we interact with others, and even how they interact with us. They shape how we feel about ourselves and what we think we’re capable of.
Beyond just speculation about what might happen, we use stories to answer the great unanswerable questions. Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life? What does it mean to be human? Am I enough? Stories bring order and meaning to the chaos and randomness of life.
BECOMING, by Michelle Obama is the perfect testimony that life is a process, not an event; a journey, not a destination. Emma Allen and Juanita Temple discuss the book from the perspective of the impact of the stories Michelle lived, heard, and told during her journey of becoming. It’s a conversation that becomes a keepsake of the heart.
[1] https://psychcentral.com/blog/the-power-of-our-personal-stories/
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Until next time, remember,-
You are not alone.
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You are not your circumstances.
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You have everything within you to live a purpose-filled life.