I always know when I need to change things up in my life because it feels like the flu coming on. I get a scritchy feeling in the back of my mind and my stomach starts tightening. Then I start forgetting to breathe and end up having to take a giant breath every few minutes. Sometimes I know what’s causing all this and sometimes I don’t. What I never know is what I need to do about it.
That’s the part I hate. I know I gotta do something but I can’t figure out what. I hope it’s not a big thing this time. I’m too old for a complete makeover. I’m not going to sell my house because I just chopped a bunch of firewood and I’m not moving all those logs again. I’m not quitting my job because people at work have finally accepted my self-appointed title of “Chief Sense-Maker.” And I’m not going off to an ashram because if I meditate for more than 20 minutes my legs fall asleep and I have to crawl around the house for another 20 minutes until I can feel them again.
Luckily, I have a bunch of people in FGS who I can always count on to inspire me. Come tell a story at our next show on October 20 about a time you reinvented yourself. Or at least made a meaningful change in your life. What led up to it? Was it the right thing to do, or do you wish you had done it differently? Did you tell off your boss and walk out of work? Did you run away from home and hop a freight to a new life? Maybe you decided to have kids when you swore you’d never start a family. Whatever it was, we’d love to hear the story.
Remember to practice your story out loud on as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. All stories have to be under 8 minutes. Stories can be as short as you want but not over 8 minutes. Stories also have to be clean in both language and content. Send me an email (freshgroundstories at Gmail dot com) if you have any questions about that.
The rest of the rules and guidelines are below:
Workshops are a great way to get feedback on a story you’re working on. Here is one I highly recommend. It’s run by two people who have told many times at FGS and other shows in the area: https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop/
I’m also happy to help anyone on a story. Send me an email and we can set up a phone call.
See you on October 20th at 7 pm on Zoom!
Paul
Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com
Fresh Ground Stories 