“Tell your stories,” said the fly fisherman, “don’t let them die with you.”
He then led us outside to recite the passage that reminded me of The importance of the silence between us. Two very conflicting messages.. first, tell and talk, then shutup. As contradictory as they are, these two statements and concepts compliment each other well. They’re neither referring to the superficial connection we share with most of our acquaintances, but instead point us in the direction of a deep and meaningful communion with another human.
I meditated on this for weeks, now. How do I put into words the value of sharing real honesty? How do I extend this understanding that, despite the difficulty in revealing less-than-ideal information about ourselves, we stand to benefit greatly from this telling of our stories? The answer hit me as if it were an acorn thrown by some mischievous squirrel. Not a violent kick in the head.. just a humble reminder of who I am and where I’ve been.
Tell your stories. Let people know who you are and where you’ve been.
Wear them on your sleeve, for everyone to see. Like a badge of honor.
Stand resolute in an effort to be raw and real and you.
Tell your stories. Bring them out into the light.
Like a chest full of treasure. Because that’s what they are.
The hard times, the really hard times.
When you didn’t know what to do.
When you didn’t know who to call.
When everything went wrong and
came crumbling down in a disastrous
blaze of desperation.
Open up your box of treasure and pull
something out of it. Pin it on you and
tell your story.
I’m an alcoholic.
I’m a drug addict.
I’m a widow.
I’m a deadbeat.
I’m a bully.
I’m a homosexual.
I’m a loser.
I’m a survivor.
I’m a cheater.
I’m all these things..
and I’m afraid or ashamed or awesome.
it’s all the same, in the end – a patch of grass in a field of stones.
But, while I am on this planet..
I’m the one YOU CAN CALL.
I’m the one THAT WILL BE THERE.
I’m the one WHO CAN UNDERSTAND.
and I’ll hold your hand.
I’m THAT ONE. That’s who I am.
If I tell my stories. Bring them out into the light.. like a chest full of treasure to share with everyone else.