Everyone has a story…What’s your story?

Are you a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker? Did you live in a foreign country when you were little - or ever? Do you love to carve totem poles out of chunks of fallen wood? Maybe you enjoy dipping candles, stamping, or macramae. Are you in an a capella group that meets on Saturday mornings? Have you ever created a garden and grown your own fruits and vegetables? Maybe you had a summer job experience that was truly unique?

If you think that you "don't have a colorful life" or "have never done anything truly interesting." That's BUNK! Everyone has a story. Every life has value. When people hear that I grew up on a sailboat, performed in the circus, designed toys for a living, acted in a renaissance fair, or directed a summer camp - they tell me that I must have lived many lives. Not true. This is my life - one life. Carpe' Diem. What's your story?

I'm not asking you to write a book - I'm just saying that it's important to tell your story to your children and their children. My grandmother (Nana) used to work in a corset shop run by my great aunt. My grandfather (Papa) and his brothers sold souveniers at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933 to earn money for college. Ask your parents what their first job was like or about the different neighborhoods they have lived in. Ask your grandparents what life was like when they were in junior high school. Gather up these stories and share them with family and friends.

Maybe you used to take trumpet lessons or was the only girl on a boys soccer team. Maybe you used to walk to the five and dime store every Thursday to buy a piece of your favorite candy. What was your experience like when you learned to ride a bike? Did you have any crazy jobs during college - just to make some extra cash?

Did you have any hobbies when you were little - or now? If you were not working in your current profession - what would you want to do? Did you ever start your own business? I did. I sold hand woven potholders to my neighbors. I even made an order form and created them in custom ordered colors and patterns when I was in fourth grade.

This is your time to shine! People talk to me and think that I have done soo many interesting things - you have, too. I know it. Take a look at yourself, your parents, your grandparents - what's your story - and theirs?

Post a comment below and tell me something about you, your parents, or your grandparents. This is the true history of people. Everyone has a story. What's yours?...