Oct 23, 2020
You have a story.
Yes. I’m talking to you—you, the reader of this blog.
I’m not talking about creative stories; although, if you have some that is awesome! I’m talking about your personal, unique story, about you.
So, what is your story?
Don’t know?
Not sure?
You think your life is boring?
Oh, it’s not.
I Think My Life Is Boring
It’s true. I think my life is pretty boring. I don’t go on fancy vacations or high adventures or meet celebrities or work with a bunch of awesome goofballs—not anymore anyway. You know what my days look like most days?
Wake up
Go to yoga
Eat breakfast
Skype Scott
Get ready for the day
Start working/writing
Take a break for lunch
Work/write some more
Make dinner
Eat dinner
Relax—read a book, watch something, enjoy my balcony, etc.
Get ready for bed
Facetime Scott
Read scriptures
Sleep
Start again
And somewhere in there are a bunch of tasks of taking Obi outside to do his doggy business.
Boring? Well, it seems pretty uninteresting to me.
But there are some interesting things that happen in there, some mini stories that may be worth mentioning.
The Mini Stories
Mini stories are the little experiences, the almost inconsequential moments, that bring a smile to your face, or make you think, or bring those feelings—you know those feelings. They’re things like:
Your child saying the cutest, funniest thing—for the mommas out there
Your dog barking again when you leave the house because he’s upset you’re leaving without him—true story, every time!
A kiss on the cheek from your significant other that stays with you for hours
That thing your significant other said that makes you blush for hours
The news your doctor gave you that wasn’t so pleasant—not all mini stories are the best
The line in your latest book obsession that made you chuckle
Your co-worker swearing up a storm in his/her office while you’re outside giggling
That small gift from your employee that made your day
That cake you made that turned out amazing
The train that shook the building as it rode past
The amazing boots you found on Amazon and how you found them
The good cry you had after yoga
The Dr. Pepper you sipped that wasn’t Dr. Pepper—gross!
The fun lunch you had with your friends
The movie you saw that made you feel you can now do anything—exactly how I felt after I saw the most recent Spider-Man movie
This list can get out of control very quickly.
My point here is that when I look at my day in tasks, my day feels very insignificant, void of story. But when I look at my day in moments, I see mini stories, things to remember, even the hard ones.
The Bigger Stories
Bigger stories are not just little moments. They can be
Things in your life that happened over a period of time
A bigger memory that spanned more than a few seconds or minutes
A journey you went on—fitness, health, mental, career, etc.
Something you learned that spawned thoughts, feelings, new experiences
Of course, I can tell you these things, but it’s still hard to see where your stories are. Believe me. I have and still struggle with this. It’s hard for me to see what parts of my life are interesting, where the story is.
So…
Here Are a Few Examples from My Life
My stories include
Disappointment from not dating a lot—before I found the love of my life and got married
Online dating and making friends with a guy in Texas—again before I met Scott
How I fell in love with Scott
When I got my dog
Those many times I was hurt by close friends in high school
Those times I hurt close friends in high school
That really embarrassing time I split the butt of my dress before going on stage
Scott’s deployment
My anxiety attack that led to quitting my job
My author journey
My health journey
Falling in love with yoga
Moving again and again and again
Buying my first house
Finding out I have endometriosis
My infertility journey
The most interesting thing about putting together this list is that as I wrote, I thought of more things.
So…
A Little Exercise
You have a story. Really. It’s true.
So, put it to the test. Find a piece of paper, or the note app in your phone, and begin a list. Start with something simple. Maybe having a baby or the hospital visit. Use my list; steal some things from it if they relate to you.
You could also add
Your first kiss
Getting your first car
Seeing a drive-in movie—those were around when I was super little and I thought they were the bomb (also a word from my younger days that I’m not sure is cool these days)
Singing in the choir
Your experience writing a story
Your first job
I can go on with all the ideas. But for you to discover your story, you have to do the exercise yourself.
Once you’ve done it, if you want to share a few parts of your list, I’d love to see what you’ve got. Please leave a comment.