I love stories! Whether they are told in song, poetry, books, movies or verbally, stories move me! Perhaps that is one of the reasons I became a therapist. I find the stories people live and share, fascinating!
One of the best things about stories is that we all have them! If I love stories so much, you might wonder what makes me include them in this series on Things That Bug Me. Glad you wondered (even if you didn’t). What bugs me about stories is when they go untold. Untold stories retain their inherent power to instruct, warn, enlighten, challenge, remind, inspire and connect. Untold stories are inert and impotent.
Untold stories become powerful only when they become The Stories We Tell!
The Hopi have a proverb that says, “He who tells the stories rules the world!” Personally, I love this proverb. In fact, I include it as a quote at the end of each of the short stories I write! It reminds me to make sure the stories I tell help create meaning and context for living!
We all have stories! We all tell them in ways both obvious and subtle! Some are sad; some are scary; some are touching; some are bewildering; some are inspiring; some cause us to think; some cause us to feel deeply; some are . . . well, let’s face it – boring!
In every instance the telling of the story in one way or another causes us to “rule our world” if only for a breath of time. Imagine what might happen if we became more mindful of the stories we share through our lives and began concentrating on making them the best, most complete, most uplifting, most enlightening stories around. Imagine the kind of world we might have!
Just . . . imagine!
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
