A friend stopped by yesterday and she shared her story of a journey she had been on. Even though she is now back home the journey's impact in her life is still quite apparent. She stepped out of her comfort zone, flew thousands of miles, and immersed herself into a different culture and way of life. I was touched and honored that she made a visit with me a part of her journey.
We all are storytellers. Our stories are how we share who we are, and who we are becoming, with others in our lives. It is important that we have experiences in life, and it is equally important that we share these experiences with others. The sharing of our stories is as important as the adventure of having lived them.
I believe if we could value each others stories we would come to value our own. To sit being completely attentive as someone relates life's events is a valuable gift to each other and to ourselves. Journeys and adventures are a daily part of life. Learning to realize and recognize their importance helps us honor ourselves and each other.
My friend talked about active listening skills as a way of supporting and helping others to speak their stories. Being totally present as someone shares their story allows that person to feel embraced and accepted. So many times as we listen our attention is not in that moment. We often are thinking about our own experiences and waiting for the moment we can speak. So often we do not listen to hear and understand, we listen to respond. We use that moment to tell our story rather than just being present for the other person.
As my friend spoke yesterday her words and their expression carried the excitement of her experience. She talked of how this journey was a culmination of something that had begun in her childhood, and having made this journey was not only achieving a goal, but was also the starting of new goals that will lead to new adventures. The story and the storytellers are weaving new threads and creating a new pattern that changes the fabric of life.
Each story is important. The teller's role is important as the creator of the story. The listener's role is important because they are the canvas on which the teller creates images that bring the story to life. Through this sharing we are all enriched.
There are big stories and small stories in everyone's lives. Hearing and validating them gives meaning to each others experiences and journeys through life. The storyteller is important, not only in the telling but also in the keeping of the stories. We each are a storyteller and a story keeper.
In indigenous cultures the storyteller passes on the knowledge of the culture to new generations. As our world grows so many customs and traditions are not handed down and are eventually forgotten. Listening to and hearing each others stories are as much a lost art as is the role of the storyteller. When this is lost there is a tear in the weave of life's fabric and the connection to past and future is broken. The weave of the fabric is changed and life flows in a different pattern.
Being present and able to listen to each others stories allows us to connect to the individual lessons we bring to the collective. Realizing that we are all a part of life can allow us to touch our empathy. Events that happen in our own lives, our communities, and the world all impact each of us as citizens of the world.
We are the emissaries of change in our world. Compassion, empathy, and awareness are the tools of the peaceful warrior. Our stories, both spoken and heard, are the sword of creating the change we hope for. Remember our stories, tell our stories, and hear the stories of each other; together as individuals we create the collective for change.
Thanks to my friend for sharing her story and for helping me find the words to write of my understanding. Her words created pictures that allowed me to process my own thoughts to her sharing her experience. This touched my own dreams and goals and took my own awareness in a new direction. A new pattern began emerging in my own life; perhaps a new understanding began a weave in her life; and hopefully as you read this there is a thread of a new beginning for you as well.
Ah ho, it is good.
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