I’ve never been very good at bouncing back. I have a hard time even relating to people who “move on” or “have no regrets.” No regrets?! Seriously? I’m still regretting the Toyota Camry I bought in ‘92. Most of my life has been spent muttering “if only” instead of “what if?”
Lately, though, things are beginning to change. Last year I had to decide whether I was going to cave in or rise above. I chose to rise above. It was a pretty weird feeling at first. Choosing gratitude over regret is totally unnatural for me. It was like learning to eat left-handed. But now, a year and a half later, it feels kinda ok. Like maybe I can keep doing it. My friend Jill said once, “It’s not the baggage you carry but the way you carry your baggage.” Jill’s pretty smart. She says stuff like that. So now I get to choose if I drag the baggage behind me or throw it in the air and learn to juggle.
And that, Fresh Ground Story people, is what we’re looking for next month. Tell us a story about hitting bottom and bouncing back. Lose your job? Your car? Your wife? Your mind? I know the mistakes you made are probably embarrassing but I’ll bet you anything someone in the audience has been there too and would love to hear how you pulled through.
Don’t forget, in an effort to get more people onstage, we’re shaving the time down to 8 minutes. So practice your story on friends and pets to make sure it’s somewhere between 5-8 minutes long.
The rules for stories are below but you know the kind we’re looking for: true stories that happened to you that still mean something to you days, months or years later. I hope to see you at our next show on Thursday, May 22, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.
Rules & Guidelines: https://freshgroundstories.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/
Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com.