Last Thursday was a perfect mix of laughter, drama, and all-around sweetness. Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make it happen. One of my favorite parts of the night was seeing so many people hanging out in the bar before the show, laughing and chatting. That is the perfect way to start a storytelling show 🙂
If you weren’t able to come out, we heard stories about exploding baby formula, the unspoken terror of the local blood drive, naked fishing in Australia, the excitement of applying for a job when no one will tell you what it is, a job where you spend more time documenting your work than doing your work, and a beautiful story of an unsung hero of 9/11.
We got to know the weird thing Jamie’s mother did as a nurse down at the old broccoli fields, and we found out how Abby discovered the greatest way to get out of a shoplifting arrest. What made these two stories even better was that Jamie’s mom and Abby’s dad were in the audience to hear them. I’m secretly hoping one day their parents will come and tell their own stories.
Craig told us about the fear of holding an 18-day-old baby, Carmen told us about the time she found just what she was looking for in an RV bathroom, and Brian closed the show by telling us why you should never try to cut down a tree with just your 10-year-old son and 80-year-old dad as backup.
Special thanks to everyone who let me extend the show a few minutes to tell my own story. I don’t like taking time for myself if we have a full show, but that night it seemed like I could squeeze in a little time for a story that I’ve been working on for a few months.
I don’t say this very often, but the real reason I run this show is to connect with people I would never meet otherwise. There’s something about sitting 20 feet from a stranger telling a true story from their life that makes me feel like they’re talking just to me. We have people who have been coming to FGS for years who have never told a story, but keep showing up to listen. I think part of why they come out is to feel like they belong. I hope everyone who comes to FGS feels like they’re right where they should be.
Our next show is February 19, and the theme is “Unselfish – Stories of doing the right thing”. Think about a time when you didn’t want to do the right thing, but you did it anyway. It could also be about a time when you wanted to do the right thing, but didn’t. Remember that we don’t talk about politics or current events at FGS, so these stories will have to be about the smaller moments in life where we were faced with a choice of doing the right thing or the wrong thing. Write me at freshgroundstories at gmail dot com if you have any questions.
Our good friends at 7 Stories in Burien are having their first show of the year this Friday.
They hold their shows at the Highline Museum, where you get to tell stories standing next to the DB Cooper exhibit 🙂
Our free online story workshop is coming up on February 1.
It’s a great place to share a story you’re working on and get good feedback. It’s run by two FGS tellers who are great at getting to the core of a story and helping you figure out how to finish it.
Have a great rest of the month, everyone. I hope to see a bunch of you on February 19!
Paul
Freshgroundstories at gmail dot com
Fresh Ground Stories 