tête-à-tête

‘Tis the season for telling stories. Some true to their core, others whose core has some iota of truth but as they are spun reveal more fabrication. The latter I refer to are for the benefit of bringing magic to this time of the year so it’s all good. The last few months of writing The Eclectic Eye have brought me hours of pleasure. Each time I sit down, my goal is to put my best voice forward, draw you in, wrap you up in my world for a few, then deposit you back in yours feeling entertained. Sometimes I get so lost that I have no idea how much time has passed. Of course by then I have to edit like crazy to keep the column from becoming a book!

I have received emails from a few followers who say they like the way I tell a story. (I actually prefer to say story sharing rather that story telling because according to the grown-ups in my orbit when I was a wee one, telling a story meant you were not telling the truth.) Each time I compose my narratives, I gain an even better appreciation of the art of story sharing. Many times I enlighten myself as I stop to search for information based on something that comes up while I’m writing. For example, the word griot came to mind as I pecked notes into my I Phone note pad for this entry. Though I know what a griot is and am fortunate enough to have met more than one in my travels, I have never taken the time to research the oral historians known by this title. My eyebrows arched slightly when I read part of the explanation from Wikipedia that said they sometimes use their “vocal expertise for gossip, satire, or political comment.” Perhaps part of that telling a story thing that those grown-ups from my youth referred to…

Though I enjoy writing almost as much as I love creating art, I am a huge proponent of tête-à-tête dialog especially when story sharing (not talking about books…topic for another day). The convenience and immediacy of text, email and tweets pushes us farther and farther away from what is fast becoming the lost art of conversation. I want to hear the emotion of new baby news, the melody of a voice in like or love. There is something lost in translation when we read words without the benefit of inflection, tonality and rhythm. Just think of that email you opened that stopped you cold or the one you sent… you know the one I mean. Certainly there is much to be said about electronic communication that is to the positive. However, we are raising a society of people that have no inkling of what the words personal communication mean and bumping phones together DOES NOT count!!!

Now I must confess that as I am writing this, my sister born before me and I have sent more than 15 text messages and the last few have been about me writing about the beauty of talking. Go figure! This brings me to yet another meaning of telling stories. When someone shares a story it can reveal so much about them, it can be very telling about who they are and what they are about. Take a listen. You just might learn something and as you listen remember to also…

keep your peepers open! ®