Story Time

So, I met a bard. An actual bard. Flesh and blood. The real deal. A professional poet and story-teller. Because of my interest in stories, I decided to go along to an evening meeting for scanners where, not only did I get to meet others with lifestyle ADD, but Sarah (the bard) entertained and educated us for a couple of hours.

Unsurprisingly, as we shared coffee late into the London night, the conversation became increasingly meta, until we were telling each other stories about telling stories about telling stories. Absolutely in my element, I was fascinated by the stories I heard, and by the understanding I was gaining of my own stories. So I signed up.

BardSchool, it turns out, is even more fun than just chatting over coffee. I elected for a 3 hour (was closer to 4, to be honest) individual session, on a Saturday morning, and those hours just flew by. Predictably, I did most of the talking, and Sarah made notes and reflected to me what she was hearing as major themes and also strengths and weaknesses in my stories. She helped me to recognise the structure of many of my favourite stories, and to learn to add and omit details in the interest of compelling communication.

I went home with that post-conference feeling, exhausted but excited. Having given so much of myself, but also having learned so much. And I have spent the last couple of weeks going over the simple notes we made, and going through all the stories I love to hear and love to tell, and just acknowledging the elements that appeal most to me. And committing myself to finding and telling many more such stories.

So, I’m going to be sharing some stories on this blog. Some old, some new. Many of my own, and a few I’ll borrow from friends. And this is what they are likely to be about (the themes The Bard and I identified), so if these sound like the kind of stories you like to hear, then stick around. I’d also love to hear any such stories that you might have to share.

The passage of time.

Simply the notion that things change. That there is a natural progression. And that, although time can lead to break down and decay, time can also solve problems, heal wounds and create opportunities. The notion that time is a constraint and a challenge. I love stories about people who do amazing things in a short time, or about people who triumph after enduring hardship or uncertainty for long periods.

Community, brotherhood and reconciliation.

This is all about how people coexist on this crazy planet. I am a social-hedonist. That is, I believe in simple self-indulgence, but I believe that everyone should have the opportunity of a basic platform of welfare from which to indulge themselves. So I love stories about family, community and team-work. About sharing, providing and empowering.

The epic and the mundane.

Probably the most important, this is about finding a way to live a significant life in a sustainable fashion. It’s about building elements of larger-than-life action into a regular daily life. This is what I aim to do in my life, and what I see in so many people around me. I love stories about people whose lives seem normal to them, but which seem to be serving a grander purpose. And stories about people who live otherwise normal lives, but choose to invest a portion of their time or other resources in contributing to a common good.

Let’s see where this takes us…