Stories, meaning, and life. . .

It's 9:43 a.m. on a Saturday morning in Southern California. We've been on storm alert for 24 hours -- receiving several inches of rain in a short amount of time. Today however, the sun is shining and everyone is out and about in the village. From listening to live music at the local guitar store to walking dogs and kids -- the coffee shop where I study is buzzing with activity. With each passing person, I wonder what their day holds? What their weekend will be consumed with and most importantly. . . what is their story?

For that matter. . . what is a story? Kendall Haven, in storytelling fashion isn't about to easily give up his definition or provide a few tight sound bytes on his summary. Rather, he is interested in walking us through the context of storytelling, and at this point. . . what it is not. It's an interesting process and goes against the grain of today's immediacy and urgency for information. I wonder, are soundbytes downsized stories that will present any lasting memory? Are they crafted for the urgency in the moment? Only time will tell.   

In the era when many believe that everything is a story, Haven provides an interesting statement which he calls the "Blanket Myth." It's quoted from an epiphany that a writer, Nora Ephron shares. He quotes her as she states, "the beginning of my understanding that just about everything was a story" (Haven, 2007, p. 14). Haven answers her response stating, "Everything is not a story -- but it could become one" (2007, p.14).