telling our stories

"Our lives are a collection of stories - truths about who we are, what we believe, what we come from, how we struggle, and how we are strong. When we can let go of what people think, and own our story, we gain access to our worthiness - the feeling that we are enough just as we are, and that we are worthy of love and belonging. If we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don't fit with who we think we're supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and have to hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing and proving. Our sense of worthiness lives inside our story. It's time to walk into our experiences and start living and loving with our whole hearts." Brene Brown

The importance of telling our stories has been very real for me this week. Through a number of my relationships people have shared, struggled with documenting and realized the importance of including all their experiences in the telling of their story. Personally I put a lot of energy into preserving my story - through pictures, my many scrapbooking projects, this blog. My professional life is all about providing a safe place for people to explore themselves and tell their stories. But sometimes I struggle with the amount of time I put into all of these different forms of documenting my story. This week I am trying to let go of this struggle. I am trying to listen to this need and be okay with how I choose to document and explore my story.

A visit from a friend last night (see pic above) was one of these gentle reminders of how important it is to tell our story and more importantly, how we need to value other people's stories. Reconnecting with someone or really wanting to know another person's story is how we demonstrate the love and belonging that we all need. It can be as simple as showing true interest in another's person's story. When was the last time you really cared about the person who serves you at a restaurant. Or the cashier at the checkout. This morning as I stood at the sushi counter with Jesse, I started talking with the woman who makes our sushi. We see her almost every week and exchange friendly hellos, but this morning I asked about her life. And I really wanted to know. This was making a connection. I don't know what the experience was like for her, but I hope my interest in her made her feel like a person. Not just someone who is doing their job.

We need to nurture each other by forming connections and being strong to share our stories.