The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: story

  • Storytelling Parties

    A friend of mine had a party the other night that was a great success. Usually I avoid parties, especially ones where the only person I know will be the host. I’m just too introverted to mingle with strangers. But this party was structured in a way that it made “mingling” unnecessary. 12 people came,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • Vowels, Consonants, Climate

    I just love National Public Radio! It constantly causes me to look at the world through a whole new lens. This story, in particular, almost made me late for work because I refused to get out of my car until I’d heard the whole thing. Language lover that I am, now I’m even more focused…

  • The Story of How We Met

    I had been in this strange little relationship for 15 years. It wasn’t bad. No passion, per se, but it beat a sharp stick in the eye. We were just cruising along on automatic pilot, probably because we were both afraid of being alone. And then we were at this backyard bar-b-cue and he decided…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • An Unexpected Ego Boost

    I was at home, sound asleep, when I got a phone call from my boss the other day. She was calling to let me know that StoryCorps was trying to track me down. I was intrigued. Why on earth would StoryCorps be contacting me? For those who are unfamiliar with this amazing organization, I’ll quote…

  • Untapped Depths

    Every day we walk or drive past countless numbers of people without communicating with them in any meaningful way. That’s perfectly natural. It would be impossible to get anything done if we stopped to have intense conversations with everyone we encountered. But lately I have been viewing all these strangers with fresh eyes. That’s because…

  • Unfinished Stories

    For the past two weeks, I’ve been watching a well-dressed woman walk across my bridge. In the morning she walks north. In the evening she walks south. Going both ways, she drags two large wheeled suitcases. She’ll drag one about 20 yards, leave it, and then go back for the other one, and so on.…