What’s Your Story?

We are all story-tellers of one sort or another.

I reconnected with someone from my past a few years ago, and periodically, seemingly impromptu, he would regale me with a story of something that had happened to him. At first I thought “how fun, to have such an interesting tale in your head. I was particularly impressed with how polished it seemed, and wished that I was able to recount my experiences in such a clear and fascinating manner.

I became less (actually differently) impressed when I’d been around him a couple of months and heard these same stories repeated over. And over. And over, again.

It turns out that my friend had a series of tales that he had honed through years of repetition into a veritable catalog of personal legends. This isn’t to say they weren’t true (although they MIGHT have been embellished a TINY BIT); if anything they were better than a factually accurate retelling, because the way they were told gave insights into my friend that were more valuable.

How we all embellish and repeat stories that say something about who we are (or who we want to be)

I was never athletic (I didn’t have much interest during my youth – a majority of my athletic activity – such as it was - occurred after the age of 25); I have events that I remember and tell repeatedly – about chasing an opponent across a football field and making up his twenty-yard lead to tackle him inside the 5-yard line (I never give up.) Or making the same leaping catch between first and second base TWICE during the same inning in a company softball game (I am capable of surprising people), or pulling off a couple of neat plays in a sandlot football game that were so impressive that the next time we picked sides I was only SECOND TO LAST (I don’t know how to MAKE myself popular.)

There are also non-sports stories involving the Treasury Department (it’s not always good to think out loud), my French teacher’s eye test (don’t just do things – remember WHY you’re doing them), Russian spies (make sure you know who you know), a bee that flew in my ear and never came out (some things stay with you), and the time I was born in India (sometimes I can’t help making stuff up.) All of these say something about who I am (and no, it isn’t that Walter Mitty lives.)

What’s your story? What event is it that you find yourself thinking about and repeating? Especially the ones that your significant other has heard so often that they (lovingly and tolerantly) roll their eyes? Do you know what you’re really trying to tell people?

Just saying…

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William Mangieri’s writing (including his latest ePublication “The Wolves Will Come”) can be found in many places, such as:

·         His Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008O8CBDY

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