April 17, 2003 9:14 P.M.

Everybody Has A Story

�Writing is the mirror of the mind.� (Dennis Prager, 2003)

Everybody has a story. That is not a thought which originated with me. �Oprah� had a telecast last year, where she randomly choose people off the street and began to ask them questions about their lives, just as she would have interviewed any well-known personality. One way the people were chosen, was to throw a dart at a map of the United States, pick the nearest town, get the phone directory of that area and call a person chosen at random. In each case, every single person they interviewed, had an interesting story to relate.

I have always been more of a �private� person than a �people� person. Making new acquaintances hasn�t been easy for me. In fact it hasn�t been within my comfort zone at all.

Lately, after having the concept dropped into my mind from that television program, I try to consciously remain aware, that �every person has a story�. It helps free me to reach out with interest in the other person�s life, and my whole approach to them is revolutionized.

It is amazing how I see people who are �serving� me, with new eyes. That pre-occupied waitress in the coffee shop may be a single mom just trying to put groceries on her table, working odd hours, trying to stay alert, but worrying about the kids and the unfinished chores she left behind. She has a story to tell.

The new co-worker who keeps to herself and seems to have established a wall of defense against all newcomers. She certainly has a story to tell.

Not long ago, I worked with a talented architect who had emigrated from one of the Soviet satellite countries. She had escaped to America shortly after their oppressive government was overturned by a political coup. Their dictator was assassinated in the city square. The whole world saw it in the news, but she had been an eye witness as she watched from a high-rise office building.

For a while when I first knew her, she seemed to be a rather private, soft spoken employee�with a strong accent! And she was that. But SHE had a story to tell, and eventually I had the privilege of hearing it.

Normally, I do not ever hear the stories. And I don�t let myself wander off into fantasyland. That isn�t necessary. Just to momentarily redirect my thoughts from passing personal judgment, to - �they have a story. I wonder what it is?��changes everything. The way I see them, my reaction to them, �and sometimes it opens the door to reveal a glimpse of the story.

Thanks for reading. If you choose to return for an occasional visit, you will soon discover � that I too have a story.

Text � copyright 2003 - 2008 The Homespun Philosopher

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