Storytelling as Growth
I've found one of the biggest challenges is to remember that the woman I am today has just as many stories to share and just as much potential as I did on the days like this one, in Thailand. I've known that stories are important to people for a while. However, over the last couple years I've seen how they can build unexpected connections, facilitate learning, and best of all, can help us see people and events in relation to their context or time. Because I know stories are so important, I have spent the last few years practicing how to ask better questions that invite others to share stories from their lives. The stories shared with me have been beautiful, complex, heavy, and hilarious. Being an inviter of stories has enriched my life, but I've realized I may have over corrected. I was out to coffee with a childhood friend once. We were catching up and I was asking him questions about college, faith, family, and life. At one point the conversation lulled an...
