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Seattle Speaks
So many of us are in a state of shock, trying to adjust to this new world we’re living in. We are wondering how we’ll fit in now if we’re women, minorities, immigrants, or part of the LGBT community. I know I’ve really been struggling with this. Fortunately, there’s a place that I have been…
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Do You Feel Like You’re Being Watched?
As anyone who regularly reads my blog knows, I spend a great deal of time on my drawbridge, watching the world in minute detail. I know the routines of hundreds of people. I know who owns what dog. I know the cycles of the seasons, the migration patterns, and the angles of the sun at…
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Another Story–About Saying Yes
I told yet another story at my local storytelling group, Fresh Ground Stories here in Seattle, Washington. I’m becoming addicted to this group and all the wonderful people in it. I never would have imagined that I’d take to standing in front of a group of 150 people and exposing my soft underbelly, but there…
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A Story About Reframing Misfortune
This month, the theme for the monthly storytelling group I attend was “Starting Over”. I’m the poster child for that, but I didn’t feel like being too intense this time, so I thought about a blog post I did a while back on the Evil Eye. That’s the story I told, with some modification. If…
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Another Story-The Hardest Thing to Say
Whenever possible, I attend a monthly storytelling group here in Seattle called Fresh Ground Stories. Each month it has a theme, and this month’s was “The Hardest Thing to Say”. I decided to tell a story about how hard it has been to remain dignified and polite in the world of internet dating. You can…
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On Being a Storyteller
Throughout human history, storytellers have been a very important part of most cultures. Before the written word, they were our only link to our ancestry, our current events, and our life lessons. They provided a sense of continuity and connection. These stories allowed people to expand their worldview, even in times when it was much…
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My Latest Story–My Thoughts on Beauty
I attended the local storytelling group again this month. The theme was “Changes of Heart.” I really struggled with coming up with something for this one, and ironically, I’m the one who suggested the theme! It seems that I rarely change my mind about things once I’ve formed an opinion. I wrote three different stories…
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Another Drawbridge Story
Recently I wrote a blog entry called How Soon We Forget, about a unique encounter I had with a fisherman on the job, and how I reacted when he passed away. That was a story that has weighed heavily on my mind for years, and it was good to get it out. There have been…
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The Book in You
I find humans to be fascinating creatures. No two are completely alike, even if they’re identical twins. Each one is shaped by different life experience. Every single one dresses differently, looks unique, reacts to things in his or her own special way. To paraphrase Forrest Gump, people are like boxes of chocolate. You never know…
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Scars
After my recent surgery I spent a week in a cast, wondering what my scar was going to look like. I didn’t look while the procedure was in progress. I’d have passed out cold. I needn’t have worried, because upon removing the cast I discovered the incision was less than a half inch long, and…