What’s the difference between a secret and something you just never bothered to tell anyone? No one knows that I am the 1982 Alaska State Hackysack Champion, novice division. Is that a secret or just something that’s never come up in conversation in the last 43 years?

When I was seven years old, we lived in a rented house that had a chandelier in the dining room. It was the fanciest thing I had ever seen, and I always wanted to touch the pendants that hung from it. The day we moved out, I climbed up on the dining table and touched one of those pendants. A few seconds later, my parents walked back into the house, and I jumped down so they wouldn’t know I was on the table. My mom saw the lamp gently swinging and thought the chandelier was saying goodbye to us. She told that story to a lot of people, and I never told her the truth because I didn’t want to embarrass her. I think this may have been the first real secret I kept from my parents. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the last time I realized my mom believed in things that weren’t true.

Come tell a story about a secret you have. How did it happen, and why didn’t you tell anyone? Or maybe you discovered a secret about someone else. Did you tell the world or keep it to yourself? Did it change how you felt about that person?

Remember, a story isn’t just a series of things that happened. There has to be something at stake. As you work on your story, think about what you were worried would happen if people found out about the secret. Would you be embarrassed? Ashamed? Would you lose friends or get fired from your job? Did any of those things happen when someone did find out?  

Practice the story out loud to as many people as possible and time yourself when you’re doing it. Please don’t get onstage if you haven’t practiced your story. The audience is giving you their time and attention. It’s not fair to them if you get up there and try to wing 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 if you have any questions about that.

The rest of the rules and guidelines are below:

Storytelling Rules and Guidelines

Our free monthly online workshop is a great place to get feedback on your story. 

https://www.meetup.com/Fresh-Ground-Stories-Storytelling-Workshop/

I’m also happy to help anyone with a story they’re working on. Email me, and we can set up a phone call.

See you Thursday, December 18, at 7 pm on the top floor of the Seattle Swedish Club 1920 Dexter Ave, N Seattle, WA 98109

Paul
Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Thanks to everyone who came out last Thursday and helped us have a great show. It was so nice to run the Comfort Zone theme for the second month so we could hear all the tellers I had to bump last time. 

We heard some great stories that night from Stephanie who found the courage to stand up to people at a school board meeting, and Brian who whose mother had to do something she’d never done in order to get him to a baseball game on time.

Janet told us about Studebaker road trips and Helen Keller vacation, and Mary shared with us about a road trip from Seattle to Maine, where she was berated by people beyond the grave. Ariel taught us that you can do almost anything at any age, including swimming through shark-infested waters for fun. And Maliha about the significance of Amy’s Cheddar Bunnies and how her son surprised her in a way she never thought possible.

Kate told us how she conquered some fears and also how some of them can show up again in new forms. Ute told a story with an ending that surprised every single one of us, and Carmen shared a story of her own fears that ended on the shores of a great sea.

Simar began his story by telling us that he wasn’t supposed to be there that night, but by the end we were all happy that his original plan didn’t work out. Dave told a great story about how some of our greatest accomplishments can mean nothing to someone else. And Gretchen closed the show for us with a story of how she also wasn’t supposed to be there that night, but how sometimes telling a story of heartbreak can ease the pain a little.

Our next show is  Dec 18 and the theme is “Secrets”. I’ll get the Meetup invite out as soon as I can. Don’t forget, themes are just suggestions, and you can tell a story about anything as long as it follows our usual rules and guidelines.

Also, if anyone knows who the woman in the second row was that I should have given a membership to Thursday, let me know.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope your day is filled with stories.

Paul

Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Hi Eveyrone,

Thanks to your generosity Thursday, I have three more annual Swedish Club memberships to give away 🙂

Email me directly before Friday at 5pm to get your name on the list. I’ll roll my son’s D&D dice to choose the names.

I feel terrible that I pointed to a woman in the second row that night, but got distracted by someone else waving from the back row, and ended up giving a membership to them. It’s bothered me for the last two days that I didn’t just give away four memberships.

If anyone knows the woman in the second row (she had long hair and was sitting next to a man who seemed to be her friend), please have her write me directly so I can give her a membership. Trust me, I will worry about this for months until I find her and apologize.

To make sure this doesn’t happen again, and to be more fair to everyone, I’ll ask everyone who wants a chance to win a free membership to put their name in a jar before the show. You can’t imagine how stressful it is to look out over 15 hands raised and waving at me hoping to get a membership. 

The Swedish Club is a great place to hang out and my goal is to give everyone a membership at some point. I can only do it few it a few people at a time but that’s my goal. If you’d like to become a member on your own, it’s only $50/year, which is probably the most affordable membership for anything in Seattle. Click on the link below and choose “Social Membership.” 

https://www.swedishclubnw.org/become-a-member

No one will ever have to be a member to attend a show. This is just how I pay the club back for letting us use their room.

I’ll send out my usual thank you email in a few days. It was a beautiful night of stories. 

See you on Dec 18th for our next show. The theme is “Secrets”. I’ll get the invite out as soon as I can.

Have a great weekend!

Paul

Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Hi Everyone,

If you were one of the people I bumped last month because we ran out of time, you can tell your story at our upcoming show next Thursday. If you could, write me a separate email letting me know you want to tell, so I have an idea of how many people from last month will be telling. I know not everyone who got bumped last month will be able to make it, but I want to make sure we have space for everyone who does.

Tonight, I’ll be one of the hosts at Seattle Town Hall for NAMI’s annual fundraiser, the Brainpower Showcase. You’ll hear some wonderful stories from people who didn’t let mental illness keep them from living happy, successful lives. 

https://www.namiwa.org/brainpower-showcase

FGS teller and Seattle’s favorite bus driver, Nathan Vass, is speaking and signing his latest book next Saturday at Pike Place Market. I’ll be there, so come up and say hi. I love seeing FGS folks in the wild 🙂

Tickets are free, but they want you to RSVP here:

https://www.folioseattle.org/event-details/deciding-to-see-nathan-vass-in-conversation-with-quinn-hallenbeck

Here’s the blurb from the event page:

“In partnership with Chin Music Press, Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum is delighted to welcome beloved Seattle author and filmmaker Nathan Vass for a conversation with performer and photographer Quinn Hallenbeck on how to balance the raw realities of poverty and trauma with the hopeful through-line of kindness.

Together, they will explore how everyday encounters on a city bus reveal resilience, empathy, and unexpected beauty, and how the decision to truly “see” one another can transform both personal stories and public narratives.”

That’s all for now. I’m looking forward to hearing all your stories of getting out of your comfort zone next week. I did something this week that I spent 40 years not wanting to do, and then decided to do it. It’s not a story yet, but your stories from last month inspired me to do it. And it turned out better than I could ever have imagined. Thanks to all the tellers last month who inspired me.

Let me know if you want help on a story. I’m always available by phone.

Paul

Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com

Hi Everyone,

I’ll be one of the hosts of this wonderful show on Saturday, November 15. You’ll hear three people share personal stories of living successfully with a mental health diagnosis. Many FGS tellers, including me, have been in this show since it began in 2017.

These stories are touching, poignant, and often even funny. I’m proud of all the FGS tellers who have walked on this stage and shared their stories. This is one of the ways storytelling can make a difference in the world. I hope some of you can join me at Seattle Town Hall on the 15th to support our friends at NAMI Washington.

https://www.namiwa.org/brainpower-showcase

Here is the info straight from NAMI:

Join NAMI Washington for an evening of stories, creativity & connection to uplift mental health in Washington state on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at Town Hall Seattle’s Wyncote NW Forum. Supporter Shindig 5:45 pm, General Admission Show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are just $25 for the Show, or $100 if you want to share food & drink beforehand. 

We are partnering with the spectacular Path With Art to bring music, poetry, and more for a night of rich artistic expression, sweet audience engagement, and a few meaningful surprises. Festive dress is encouraged! Think top hats, fine dresses, anything fabulous you need an excuse to wear. This is your moment. Let’s celebrate the strength of the human spirit, the beauty of truth-telling, and the power of the arts to heal. We’ll see you there! Tickets: https://www.namiwa.org/brainpower-showcase