Story

Sometimes I just want to know what people are thinking. I mean, look at that lady over there in her car totally rocking out? She looks awesome. And maybe right now she is just thinking about rocking out, but after? I want to know. I want to know her story. When I have had the chance to overlook a city, I can't help but think about how many stories there are in every house. How much heartbreak and victory, joy and loss and feeling is happening as I sit watching those twinkling lights. Everyone has a story. It is another reason I love cemeteries. I often feel like I am standing in a wonderful, invisible treasure trove of stories. Each headstone marks a life of stories. Stories everywhere I look.

I love stories. I can't even begin to tell you how much I love stories. I love reading. I love movies. I love TV shows. And it isn't always just to be entertained, but because I love being a witness to a grand display of human emotion. Is it usually fictitious? Yes. But that doesn't change the fact that some brilliant person was able to channel their emotions, their understanding of other people's emotions and create a story that is touches me to the core.

That is why I want to be a writer. I want to let human emotions shape a story that touches someone. I want to move people to tears (happy or sad). I wrote a short story once that I put my heart and soul into. I could feel my heart pouring its emotional lifeblood into those words. It is currently my masterpiece (and is being reworked to be a full story). When I finally let other people read it be they professor, parent or peer, I am told how the story had resounded with them. It had stolen their sympathy and even brought some to tears.

I'm not telling you this to brag. I worked on that story for over three years (and I still am!), but each time I heard that my story meant something to someone, I felt my entire being want to burst into happy tears, a joyful dance and an outpouring of gratitude.

This is what I want. I want to write. I want to pour my whole self into something until it shapes itself into a meaningful tribute to life. It sounds like both an exhausting and exhilarating way to live. I believe that as we empty ourselves into something or someone, we will allow ourselves to be filled up again with truth, light and knowledge. I don't want to hold back love from anyone because it only makes room for more love. I don't want to stop myself from pouring everything I know into my stories because I am just making room for more. More everything. We don't need to worry about emptying ourselves because we are always being refilled.

I've been questioning why on earth I am taking the class I am right now. It is hard. It is overwhelming. It is fascinating. And it is teaching me more than the history of women. I am learning about human experiences. I am learning what people have been through. I am beginning to see how many stories have not been given a voice. And more than anything, a desire has been sparked to be that voice. I may create a fictional character, but my main goal is to give a face to the story of thousands. A voice to the sorrows, the hours of waiting, the intense joy and contentment felt over the years.

Sometimes I wonder if I am up for the task. It is a big responsibility, offering to be the voice of the silent and bygone. But I do know that I am going to try. Every person deserves to tell their story.

(Linking up with: Faith Filled Friday, Friday Favorite Things, That Friday Blog Hop, Womanhood With a Purpose, Five Minute Friday, Weekend Blog Hop,)