Stories: How We Fill the Gaps

Part Two. Who doesn’t like a good story? If there is anyone, I don’t think I’ve ever run across him. Ever wonder where stories come from? Why they matter, endure? Why even the word “story” makes your ears perk up?

Well, I have. Last weekend, I noticed that the notion of story came up often, and in surprising ways.

It started with a story, naturally enough. This one about a grandmother, unhappily trying to adjust to her new life in assisted living. While she complained about the food, the heat, the “old people”, being lonely, the granddaughter focused, probably out of self-preservation since she was there to keep her grandmother company, on the other people who lived there. None of them were, at least just then, complaining about the food, the heat, or anything else. And one of them was telling a story about a child and a whale from a book she had just read. Her own story was equally good. She lived her whole life in the same town in Iowa before she moved to Oregon to be by her only son. She started out as a farm wife, and then became a school teacher. Her move to Portland was her first trip from Iowa. Fascinating enough. But the really cool part? She was a professional storyteller. Who knew people could tell stories for a living? I guess people who write books and make movies and for that matter make power point presentations to sell stock tell stories for a living. But I had never heard of anyone who calls herself a storyteller, and I thought about that woman for a long time. Think what a treat it would be to eat dinner every night with someone who can tell you the weather forecast in a way that can make you forget it’s institutional meatloaf, again. Lucky Grandma.

The movie we watched that night was “Out of Africa” with Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. (It’s an older movie, but ever since seeing “The Devil Wears Prada” I have been on a Meryl Streep retrospective. Thank goodness for Netflix.) Among other things, Streep’s character was a storyteller. She would take a first sentence offered by someone else (in this case the rugged/tender Zen master of the African bush Bobby Blue Eyes) and spin, weave, twist, caress, knit and embroider (and you thought I couldn’t work hand crafts into this post) a tale so rich and complex that it would enrapture her listeners over several courses and numberless bottles, by the light of a full silver candelabra to the embers of the fire to the first light of dawn. Powerful stuff.

Then I got a letter in the mail. It was from a colleague who had worked for me at least ten years ago and with whom I hadn’t corresponded in all that time. He had tracked me down on the phone to ask me to be a job reference and we caught up over the many life changes ten years can bring. For me that included becoming a grandma. My kids were probably 8 and 10 the last time he saw them, so imagining one of them married was even a bigger shock to him. He told me he remembered a story I’d told him once from when I was pregnant. I was a secretary then, and it was back in the day of electric typewriters. My stomach was so big that it sat at the edge of the typewriter stand and I had to reach way over to reach the keys. Son #1 was exercising his soccer kicks at that point I guess, and punched a long pass to midfield. He kicked so hard, my chair rolled back away from the desk. To think that story became a memory that reaches beyond the boundaries of our family.

So I conclude that stories are like glue. They fill in the gaps of time from past to present. They hold young and old together. They hold fast knowledge until the next generation gets there. They reach deep into strangers’ hearts and bind them beyond explanation.

My knitting friends are full of stories, and I want to tell them. These are women so full of life and creativity it sometimes leaves me breathless in wonder. I have sat listening in the places I knit: the knitting store, the coffee shops, the ski resort for three autumn days, stunned by their sheer verve (let alone their plentiful and inspiring FO’s).

My shorthand for their endless list of projects and interests and talents is “Purse Handles or the Tearoom” signifying the bewildering breadth of choices available in one email exchange last spring: where can you buy cool, high quality purse handles for the item made for the bag swap, and what time was high tea and did you have to wear a hat? There has to be a story there. Also in "And the Judge Knits", "You Call That Fleece?", "The Other Half of the BLT", "What Does Harry Have to Do with It?", "I am Dyeing to Spin", "Road Trip!", "Weezy and Petey", "Gotta Go, I Just Got Paged", "Margene Crafts a PhD", and other equally intriguing insights into the lives of some of SLC's finest as observed from the black sofa in poor lighting. Or Alta Lodge overlooking the Collins Lift.

Anyway, for those of you kind enough to encourage me to blog, or at least write more, you can see I have plenty of material. Now if I can just get a handle on the visual elements…

Comments

[Annie]

Bring it on!!

[Karen]

Don't worry about the visual. You use your words to paint us a picture.

[Bonny]

Once again I make a pleading request - please start a blog so I can have the pleasure of reading your writing regularly. I need to know about the other half of the BLT & what about Harry!

[DeniseLyn]

What a great wordsmith you are!

[CindyCindy]

You only need the basic visuals. Your stories will do the rest.

[susan]

OK, you got me. What's the reference to Weezy and Petey? I missed that one . . . perhaps because of the poor lighting.

[Susie]

Your descriptions are great! Much better than mine. Keep up the good work. The visuals aren't too hard, either, so why not give it a try? ;-)

[marie in florida]

chapter headings! yipee; i'd read everyone

[hillary]

I'm always up for a good story. Keep it coming.

[sue]

Storytelling works when trying to impart advice to teenaged offspring. When I try to give my 14 year old daughter advice (which she doesn't want) I sometimes embed the advice into a true story about myself. Hearing a story about how mom got in a car accident by going through a green light is much easier to listen to than mom saying: when the light turns green always look both ways for the cars that are going to run the red.

[Stitch-n-Snitch]

I know all about Harry (ha!), but who is Weezy and Petey. Susan and I must have been engrossed in a conversation and missed that one! ;)

[Lucia]

We never seem to run out of stories at knitting group. There's some connection between the hands working the yarn and the brain working the long and sometimes tangled skein of memory.

[Nancy J]

The Wise Women are those to whom we Must listen.

[Rose]

What a wonderful way to greet a Michigan fall morning. Wonderful pics, too. Thank you for taking care of the blog for Margene, and thank you for delightful stories.

[Kathleen]

I do hope you take to writing your own blog somewhere some day. I do enjoy your writing style!

[Nancy]

Just lovely. I'm hungering for more.

[P-la]

Beautiful

[Roxie]

I feel that you have invited me to a banquet and so far all I can do is sniff at it from the living room. Enough with the appetizers! I want to sit down and feast!!

[Wendy]

I'm really looking forward to reading more from you!!

[Teri S.]

What a beautiful story of stories! Don't worry about the "visual elements." I was so entranced by your words that I hardly noticed the pictures. Thanks for filling in for Margene while she's away. It's been a pleasure!

[Stacey]

who needs pictures when you weave them so well with your words

does this mean margene may have led you to the darkside aka blogging?

[Sallie]

Wow! What a wonderful blog entry. I loved it. You really do need to start your own blog. I would read it every day. Fascinating!

[Carrie]

I personally would like to hear who paged you and why. :-)

[Sheri]

I really enjoyed your stories. You're doing a great job!
Sheri in GA

[yvette]

Great writing you don't need visuals, the pictures are fab, and is that your view out the window? Beautiful!

[Miriam]

I want to hear those stories and I experienced some of them! :D You definitely have a way with words Val!

[Janice]

who needs visuals? the words are beautiful on their own.

[Carol]

Let the stories begin! Love it!

[Birdsong]

This is lots of fun, and you certainly are full of rich material.

[debbie]

carry on! wonderful food for thought.

[Kristi aka Fiber Fool]

Well done, Val! The visuals aren't as important when the words are as well put as you do!

[Ann]

Beautiful. Wonderful. Tears in my eyes at 9:45 am. Keep writing!

[Doris]

Great post! Where did you live in Michigan? We have a place on Walloon Lake and I adore it up there.

[Katherine]

Well done again, Val! And, isn't it weird, the city library had a storyteller this past weekend. I didn't get to go, but I heard her interviewed on the radio. She was amazing, and she WASN'T EVEN TELLING A STORY RIGHT THEN! Not a proper story, anyway, but her discourse was still story-like. So I've been thinking about stories since last weekend, too. Weird.

[Marisol]

You go sister! What a supureb post! You had me glued to my screen!!!!

[KatherineOfItAll]

Val, who cares about the visual elements when you weave such images with your words?! And it sounds like you're having fun, too.

[peg]

I am sure Margene would help you with the pictures! She is good at that and wants you to have a blog. Go for it, so we can hear more stories.

[lisa]

Hey Val! (right?)...wonderful post!!! You and Karen should really start your own blogs, I'm sure there are many who would enjoy reading them. I knew about professional storytellers, a talent I do not posses. I can tell stories of what happened (at least as I remember the events), but I am TERRIBLE at creative interesting stories (must have something to do with my science bent...but there's that hand work creativity...). BUT I've long learned the importance of truth telling...I forget who I tell what, so if I were to lie, I wouldn't know what I told who. So, like your example, I've told stories that OTHER people remember...good thing they were true! I think "The Black Sofa" could be one of your chapter headers!

[Valerie in San Diego]

You're ready. You're probably ready to write a book. But hey, start with a blog, we're all ready to read it :-) thanks for holding us spellbound for a few lovely minutes there.

[Ina]

Sending to Margene, if she's reading comments: Hope to see you Sunday - you're on my Bingo card!

[Annalea]

Okay, Val. I hear a book in the works. Don't bother blogging it. Write it up and get it published, girl!

You've got the writing ability. And with a knitting spin on the title, there's bound to be a publisher who will snap it up. If not, there are publishing houses who will run small batches of books based on preorder. (And with a plug from Margene, you'll have a couple hundred women lining up.)

Thanks again!

[Christy J]

Great post. A good story can be retold and enjoyed so many times. Everyone has their favorite, and telling one sparks the retelling of others. A great way to connect.
And please I want know where to get the cool purse handles too!

[Lynne]

You are so right...your post made me think about the stories I heard this week. Inspirational, tragic, loving stories...at knit night, at work, from everyone we would encounter who had something to say about the big WNY storm last week...but the best one I heard was at knitting group this morning. A lady and her husband went to a wedding in Ohio. In the middle of the night, Maria woke up to knocking on the door, then heard her husband urgently, "quietly" yelling to her from the hallway..."Maria! Let me in!" When she was fully awake, as she unlocked the door, she exclaimed, "Lowell, what the hell are you doing in the hallway?" He had woken up and in his confusion, went out to the hallway instead of to the bathroom! Best part was, he was out there in his underwear! It was the best story, a humorous relief from the storm stories all week!

[Gillian]

Your stories are great; keep on.

[roseanna]

Your thoughts are so true and you never know when something you read about will actually happen. I saw an old neighbor this weekend (hadnt seen him in over a year) and he asked about my dad. When I told him that he had passed away in a car accident he told me a great story about when my dad had taken him golfing years ago. It brought tears to my eyes to know that my dad had touched his life in such a special way. Thanks for putting into words those thoughts that I am unable to.
Keep writing.

[Faith]

Hey! My sister's a professional storyteller, and it's just great. People have the odd idea that storytellers only tell at kids' birthdays and things like that, but it's really a whole lot more. She's got her own groupies and everything. This is her: http://www.priscillahowe.com/

[Kelli]

You tell the story and I promise to listen(read it).