The weather had been mixed on this holiday Monday morning, but now the sky was mostly clear.
Then suddenly, our pleasant conversation was interrupted. Without warning, the heavens opened: torrential downpour, heavy winds and thunder and lightning. Where did that come from?
We scrambled for cover. And the conversation turned to stories of past deluges and close encounters with lightning strikes.
We each had a great story to tell: stories deeply etched in our memories; stories of fright and concern, but of eventual safe endings.
Seems everyone has a story or two of close encounters of the thunder and lightning kind. Or, if not a thunder storm, then at least a story of escape from bad weather or other potential calamity. And we love telling them.
We are a story-telling species. I think that’s the way it’s always been for humans. We etch our stories in our memories and in tangible objects.
Later, we went to check out some newly discovered petroglyphs—stories etched in stone by ancient peoples. What the stories meant, we could only guess: perhaps of animal hunts or maybe directions toward fruitful hunting grounds.
Nowadays, we preserve our stories both in memories and photos. And sometimes the memory stories are better, because their factuality can’t be objectively verified.
We drove up to a lookout nearby, the dust behind us on this rough forest service road indicating just how local the downpour had been. The photo from the top, though (above), reminded us of the weather we’d experienced not long before. Maybe it wasn’t that local, after all. Maybe it was dropping selected pockets of moisture in areas around us.
But my mind was triggered to ponder the importance of story in our lives. Before we can even talk, we beg our parents to show us picture books. “Tell me a story,” we beg to our grandparents when we’re barely old enough to utter the words.
When we meet new people, or reconnect with old friends, we love sitting around telling stories. What’s more fun than sitting around a campfire sharing stories?
When we take courses, or attend workshops or seminars, the best ones are the ones with stories. When we learn to teach, we’re taught to teach with stories, not just facts. When we’re mentored in blogging, we’re encouraged to share our personal stories. Facts and details are boring; stories are interesting. Stories engage people, and it is through them that we impact one another. And then, maybe, the facts embedded in the stories may also sneak through.
I’ll forget how hard it rained Monday morning. But I’ll likely remember the stories that the downpour engendered.
Rent 2 own tip:
There are at least four different rent 2 own models. That can be confusing! When you engage a rent-to-own operator, make sure you understand the model that operator follows, and exactly how it works. If the operator is reluctant to be up-front about how their model works, it’s reason to be suspicious. Transparency should be a deciding factor.
Quote of the Week:
You don’t own success. You just rent it; and the rent is due every day. – Roy Vaden
