I love the fascination we have as humans with stories. As children we want to be read and told stories over and over again. As adults we watch TV and movies with great anticipation of what is going to happen in this new adventure. So many times I have found myself completely entranced by a TV show I am watching and in need of a serious reminder that what I am watching is not really happening. Getting drawn into the plot of a story is all too easy. Our heart breaks with the character when love is lost, hearts race as the protagonist fights for good, and when everything works out in the end a smile crosses our face. Bottom line is we love stories.
And yet we are so quick to forget the fact that each of us has our own story. One of my absolute favorite things to do is sit down and listen to a person's story. Where have they been, what have they gone through, where are they going? What has made their heart break and what has brought complete joy into their life? Hearing someone share their past and hopes for their future is more inspiring than any movie I can sit down and watch on a Friday night. This is a real person with a real story about real life. Most of the time they have been hurt by someone or something. I think we can all admit that life is not always our best friend cheering us on to succeed. So when I hear stories of heart break and pain and then I can look into the eyes of the person who has survived, I count myself blessed. The truth is our stories make us into who we are and yet for a society that loves stories so much we are so quick to deny each other the chance to share our own stories. I myself am guilty of judging a person before they have had the chance to tell me their story. I often wonder what our world would be like if before we had any preconceived notions and before we passed judgment we sat down with a cup of coffee and just listened to each others' stories. I believe we would find we have a lot more in common with each other than we realized.
