[10/20/2014]
Ripples #804: Your Story!
PEBBLE
The world is not made up of atoms;
it’s made up of stories.
-Muriel Rukeyser, shared by Jen in Madison, WI
BOULDER
The story–from Rumplestiltskin
to War and Peace–
is one of the basic tools
invented by the human mind
for the purpose of understanding.
There have been great societies
that did not use the wheel,
but there have been no societies
that did not tell stories.
-Ursula K. Le Guin, shared by Tom in Denver, CO
PONDER
Stories have endured throughout civilization as a critical component of human communication because of their ability to instruct, to entertain, and to help us understand each other better. One of our Ripplers, Paul Smith, has even written books about using stories in leadership and parenting. This week I joined my buddies from Recovery International to explore how stories can help empower individual participants and at the same time allow the organization expand their reach.
My challenge for you this week is to tell a story. You could choose to tell a longtime buddy about a chapter of your life they don’t yet know about; another option would be to share a tale of one of your epic adventures with a new friend; finally, you could tell a classmate or colleague about a time you learned something new. See if it can help deepen a connection you have with another person while at the same time sharing information. Let me know how it goes, ok?
Peace,
Paul
(((The Ripples Guy)))
p.s. Here is one of my favorite stories from Paul’s new book:
http://cool-dads.com/2014/06/curiosity-story/
