Sometimes something as simple as a pair of cowboy boots and a story can change lives.
The stories that make up our lives are the building blocks, that when put together, explain, in large part, who we are because they illustrate the paths we’ve walked and the decisions we’ve made or not made. When these stories are shared we open the doors to understanding one another, and that changes everything. Stay tuned for a discussion on understanding one another better through the sharing and listening to stories, and for a story about a girl in turquoise cowboy boots.
Stories are our lives in language. Welcome to the Love Your Story podcast. I’m Lori Lee, and I’m excited for our future together of telling stories, evaluating our own stories, and lifting ourselves and others to greater places because of our control over our stories. This podcast is about empowerment and giving you, the listener, ideas to work with in making your stories work for you. Story power serves you best when you know how to use it.
One of the many functions of story is that of sharing ourselves and our experiences with another. Once someone knows our stories they know many things about us. They know the triumphs and struggles we have faced. They know our responses to those events and people involved in those events. They know our attitudes and often we display our character by showing our choices during the unfolding of our stories and the lessons we learned within those experiences.
Does this create vulnerability? Almost certainly, if told well. Does it create understanding? Without a doubt. Does that understanding change the way we interact with one another? Often, especially when understanding is expanded. Let me share an example.
This example was shared by Amy S. Choi on September 30, 2015 in a Ted-Ed Blog called, How Telling Stories Can Transform a Classroom. The blog illustrates how the work StoryCorps is doing in collecting and sharing stories makes a difference, in this case, in a Jr. High classroom. More about StoryCorps in a minute, if you aren’t familiar with them.
Story:
Caitlyn, a quiet seventh grader, was bullied by the other kids in her class at Luther Burbank Middle School in Burbank, California. She wore the same cowboy boots every day and the other kids were awful about it.
Ms. Mieliwocki, the English teacher introduced StoryCorps to her students. She gave them tape recorders and asked them to interview someone important in their lives. Over the next few months, the class listened to each student’s interview and discussed them together.
Caitlyn, the gal who always wore the cowboy boots, had interviewed her mother. The two of them talked about their lives since Caitlyn’s father died of melanoma two years prior when Caitlyn was in the fifth grade. Before her dad passed away, he had wanted to get her something that would last forever — together, they picked out a pair of brown and turquoise cowboy boots. A year later, Caitlyn was diagnosed with melanoma herself. She had to have part of her foot removed. The boots her father bought were the only shoes that provided enough support for her to walk.
None of the kids in her class, or even her teacher had known any of this, They felt small and ashamed for having been so cruel, and with this greater understanding, the teasing stopped. Not just for Caitlyn, but for everyone.
Ms. Mieliwocki said, “Telling our stories brought all of our lived realities into the classroom.”
And that changed everything. It changed what the children knew about one another thus how they related to one another, and thus how they acted and treated one another. That’s a pretty big deal.
So, StoryCorps is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all...
