I have some childhood memories of family dinners. Most of those memories are really just me, sitting alone at the dining room table. I sat alone because I had not finished my dinner. Without fail, the part of my dinner still sitting on my plate was green. Decades later, I am still learning to appreciate the taste of vegetables in my diet. I know all about the benefits of veggies in my diet, and intellectually, I embrace those benefits. The tastes, however….
Such is the mature life. The mature life is learning to understand and appreciate that which we used to categorically deny while knowing that it is okay to not categorically accept. I believe a mature person is one who is learning to try new ideas, new projects, and new solutions. Sometimes the newness is known, but untried. Sometimes the newness is unknown. Having the maturity to try out that which is new, and build a positive outcome from the result is what I am striving for in my life. I know I won’t like every new experience, or every vegetable, but I am willing to try. And, I am willing to put in some work so that I can call that experience a positive outcome, or some sort of upward growth for myself.
Such is my storytelling journey. I might say my journey started thirty years ago, when I was a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding. More realistically, though, is that my journey got on track a little more than five years ago. Like the elements of Donald Davis’ story structure, my world was turned upside down. I learned to restore some balance by reaching out for new experiences. I learned new things. Some of those new experiences were awful. Some of the things I learned, I wish I had not had to learn. In my new normal world, though, I taught myself that with the right attitude and mental action, even awful experiences can positively shape my future.
I reached out with a commitment to a volunteer program. That experience was amazing. I applied for a paid position with the same organization. That employment has also, generally, been amazing. Still, I thought there was more I wanted to bring to the job, but I did not have the foundational knowledge and skill I believed I needed to make a truly positive impact. So I signed up for a storytelling class. That experience was amazing. The things I learned in class sparked incredible joy.
So I continue on my journey in the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute. I know that no matter how long my individual journey toward my certificate takes me, I will enjoy the experience and the learning will continue to provide for my growth upward.
But, I will never, ever eat another brussel sprout.
Leave a Reply