Photo by Steve Nowak
The sun sets on another day…
As the sun set this eve you would not know. The wind and storm were close, and darkness was already upon us. I was not worried because I was given a cool picture to post tonight, and had to find a story to go with it. I thought about it for a while and thought of words spoken to me long ago, to not just be another story.
So as I sat considering the words to write I also considered how many people in life become just a story. How many moments, just a story, and how many fish are truly scared because there are some big fish out there waiting to eat them, or is it just a story.
Today I drove with a coworker for a few hours and we talked about the past. We talked about his past and my past and the things we had done. Some were good, and some were not so good. We talked about how we interacted with people, and how they interacted with us. It was a good discussion and as I considered my strange past I realized a lot of people had just become stories, because I would not give them life past that. When I considered that I knew that I too was just a story with some and thought about how my character would be portrayed.
Now I know a few people int he past that have written their own stories to protect their lives, and I feel sorry for them. I try to portray people how they were and in the good light that I saw them, but I know there are people who avoid doing that, or just don’t do it because they cannot face the truth. I also know that there are people who hide from a lot, and in doing so hurt themselves. There are also people who hold the truth to not hurt others, and even some who hold the truth to live in their own self imposed prisons. So many different types of people, so many stories.
I would rather focus on the wonderful stories, the surprises I have been given by great people. The moments with special people, the times with family. Discussions with good friends and accomplishments that meant something. All these things are much more that just stories, they are positive parts of a life, and those little slices are what make us better people, and hopefully not worse people. (Or as my little sister used to say, worser people)
So a story.
Once upon a time, not so long ago but not quite yesterday I was with a good friend. We were laughing a lot as we joked about just about everything. In the process of laughing we played darts in a bar for hours. It was not just a moment or two, or a game or two, it was dozens of games. As we played we realized there was a fashion show going on around us, but still we played and in the end it did not matter who was winning, just that we were playing. We played cricket, 301 and a few other games just to play, and still we played. The fashion show became a lingerie show and it became surreal, and still we played darts oblivious. It was just fun. We learned a few things that night.
- My friend found that if you quit smoking you should not start back up with a pack plus in a few hours. It tends to put a whammy on you.
- I found that playing darts for dozens of games and many hours actually does a serious workout on your arm and you will be sore
- We both found that lingerie shows in a bar make you laugh in the middle of nowhere when you play darts all night
It is memories like these that are not just stories, they are a part of who I am now. So what made you who you are today? Do you tell stories in a positive manner? Do you have to tear people down to make yourself feel safe, or do you build people up so they know how important they were to you? How will you be remembered in life?
Good questions to be sure.
So as the sun sets on another day, take a moment and think about who you are and more importantly who you want to be. Find a way to be a better person and make life great not just for you, but for all the people in your life you touch, and be happy to, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love deeply, and make it to the moon and back and the stars beyond…