Hi All,

I just discovered two of our FGS regular tellers giving talks at Ignite Seattle. I was so proud to be connected to Ginger and Susan that I wanted to share their stories with you. This is the kind of thing that storytelling can lead to. Once you learn how to shape a story and speak to a room full of strangers it opens up opportunities you never knew were out there.

A Transgender Band Walks Into a Rural Olympic Peninsula Bar… – Ginger Chien
Forgive and Remember: How Forgiveness Really Works – Susan Fee

Next Friday, three of our tellers (Bill Bernat, Maryanne Moorman, and myself) will be joining three storytellers from The Stability Network https://www.thestabilitynetwork.org/ and sharing stories onstage of how we manage to have great lives while managing mental health challenges. If I had never discovered the kind of storytelling we do at FGS I wouldn’t have met these amazing people and would never have gotten involved in the work I do now around mental illness. I guarantee you that when I told my first story in 2010 I did not envision being asked to speak at a big conference nine years later.

One of the things storytelling can teach you is how to reach people who normally wouldn’t want to have anything to do with you. I have a friend whose son died by suicide. She goes to gun shows now to give away free lock boxes and talk to people about responsible gun ownership. Instead of arguments, she gets hugs. Hugs, from big dudes who own lots of guns. You’d think people at these gun shows would resent this woman reminding them how deadly their weapons can be. But because she’s learned how to share her story without pointing fingers she’s making a difference. Long-time gun owners walk away from her table with a handful of safety devices and a new way of looking at their hobby. No guilt, no shame, just connection. That’s what storytelling can do. This woman will be sharing her own story with us this Friday. I’m proud to share the stage with her.

Click on the link below if you’d like to attend the show

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/brainpower-chronicles-mental-health-stories-tickets-58123105774

Ok, one more thing then I’ll let you go. Below is a link to a really neat podcast where guests tell stories about songs that mean something to them. I was asked to be on the podcast a few weeks ago because the host saw me onstage at  FGS. So here’s another cool thing that can happen to you when you start telling stories. People start asking you to be on the radio 🙂

https://www.mixcloud.com/MyTenSongs/episode-47-paul-currington/

Of course, I hope to see a bunch of your at out next FGS show this Thursday, 7pm at the Olive Way Starbucks.

https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories/events/261605346/

Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com