On the big list I carry around in my head called, “Things I’m Not Proud Of” near the top is the conviction that I will never overcome whatever horrible thing is going on at the moment.

When people were talking about layoffs at work in 2008 I started looking for campgrounds to park in because I assumed I would end up living in my car again. When a seven-year relationship ended in 2010 I told no one for months because I thought people would say that I was lucky she even wanted me in the first place. When I had to tell my family that I was going to have a child I assumed my father would tell me how ashamed he was that I had been so irresponsible. Imagine my surprise when none of those things happened. I was never laid off and last year I actually got a promotion. Since I broke up I have had more success writing and telling stories than any other time in my life. Every time someone comes up to me after Fresh Ground Stories and says they had a wonderful time I feel appreciated. I’ve also had some romantic encounters that make me feel like I don’t have to be anyone’s second choice. And my dad? He never once told me he was ashamed of me. He supported me through years of single parenting and we ended up being closer than I ever thought we could be.

And that is the theme for our next show: The Best Bad Thing – Stories of Bad Things That Turned Out Good. Tell us a story about how things turned around after you were convinced they wouldn’t.

Remember to practice out loud on friends or pets and keep it under 8 minutes. 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. Rules & Guidelines: https://freshgroundstories.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/

I hope to see you at our next show on Thursday, February 26, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the show last week. Yes, all 150+ of you. It was our biggest turnout ever. If you were there you’ll know we learned some important things that night:

1. Never go to Costco with Renata. She nearly derailed the entire Mideast peace process over by the VitaMix demo.

2. If you ever overdose on St. John’s Wart you should go to the emergency room and consult the janitor.

3. Gay square dancing is way more complicated than straight square dancing.

4. The phrase “Caramel Latte” is a great euphemism for almost anything.

Before I say any more I want to thank all the tellers who got onstage: Bill, Renata, Connie, Laura, Marcella, Erin, Ginger, Tracey, Taran, Kauni, Stacy, Vanda, Chris S, Tom, Chris M, Elliot, Norm and David. I’m grateful to all of you.

I’m also grateful for the people in the audience who were able to stay past 8:30 and support the folks who practiced their story all month and weren’t able to get up before our usual ending time.

I did let the show go longer than usual, almost an hour longer. I’m going to keep it to our regular 90 minutes in the future so no one has to decide whether to stay for one more story or go home and pay the babysitter. An hour and a half feels like the perfect length so we’ll stick to that as much as we can. I know it was crowded and I’m not sure what to do about that but the energy was great and it was a perfect start to the new year.

I do have an audio recording of everyone’s story. If you want a copy of yours email me and I’ll get it out to you. I only give out recordings to the person who told the story because most stories are pretty personal and the tellers don’t want the on the internet. Sometimes I’ll post a story on our Facebook page if I have permission.

If you have a story you’d like to tell that’s longer than eight minutes or simply isn’t a good fit for FGS there are two other great places to tell stories:

A Guide to Visitors

http://www.drunkentelegraph.com/

Contact them to see how to get on their shows. They are good people. Lots of folks from FGS end up telling at both those shows. The Seattle Storytellers Guild page has lots of other links and resources for either listening to live stories or telling them:

http://3882b0.pancakeapps.com/ssg/home.html

Ok, that’s all for now. Give me a few days to get the official invite out for our next show on February 26. The theme is The Best Bad Thing – Stories of Bad Things That Turned Out Good.

Let me know if you have any questions. See you on the 26th 🙂

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

There are few things that make me feel better about life than getting a second chance. I always assume that I have one chance at anything and if I mess it up it I’m done for good. But every now and then I’m reminded that the world is full of second chances and that sometimes my number comes up and I get another shot.

The first time I remember someone giving me a second chance was back in ‘94 or ‘95. I had said something rude or sarcastic to my friend Sarah and I knew I had to go back and apologize. I waited a day and then another day and then another day after that. I desperately wanted to apologize because she was a good friend and I knew I owed it to her but I kept putting it off because I was convinced she was going to end the friendship the next time she saw me. As bad as I felt for saying whatever it was I said I felt even worse about being told to my face that I wasn’t worth the trouble anymore.

Finally, I slunk back to her house and apologized. She said, “That’s ok. I figured you were just having a bad day.” What?! How could this be?? She had me dead to rights and let me off scot free.

Sarah, I am sure, does not remember this. And even though I had certainly been given second chances before in life this was the first time I remember feeling that I probably didn’t deserve one and got it anyway.

And that is the theme for our next show: Starting Over – Stories of Second Chances. Tell us a story about getting a second chance or simply starting over and what it’s meant to you ever since.

Remember to practice out loud on friends or pets and keep it under 8 minutes.

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.

Rules & Guidelines: https://freshgroundstories.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/

I hope to see you at our next show on Thursday, January 22, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com.

I will tell you a secret about me. I don’t like having too many choices. In fact, sometimes I don’t even like having one choice. I’m much more comfortable putting up with stuff outside of my control than I am dealing with the consequences of my own decisions. Sometimes it’s the little stuff that bothers me the most. Back when I had hair I used to stand in the shampoo aisle trying to figure out if I’m an “apple blossom mango” guy or a “lavender cherry pumpernickel” guy. Did I need to be volumized or rehydrated? Why isn’t there a shampoo called, “Just Use this – You’ll Be Fine”? I’m not much better with the big decisions. I put my son in an alternative grade school when we moved to Olympia. He doesn’t know how to diagram sentences now but he knows how to pluck a chicken. Did I make the right choice? I have no idea. But it’s been over 15 years and I’m still worried about it.

A couple years ago I went through a painful breakup and recently I’ve been thinking of moving to Seattle. Olympia is small and seems haunted to me now. Am I running from something or running to something? Am I wanting to spend more time with the amazing new storytelling friends I’ve made in Seattle or just avoiding bad memories in Olympia? I hate this choice but I know I gotta make it. The only thing I know for sure is that whichever way I go it will lead to more stories.

And that is the theme for our next show. Choices – Stories of Decisions. Tell us a story about a choice you made that was important to you or somehow shaped your life. It could also be a choice that someone made for you. It can be a small decision or a big one. As long as there’s a story in there it will be worth telling. Remember to practice out loud friends or plants and keep it under 8 minutes. I always say at the start of each show, “know your last line first.” Not only does it remind the audience of what you learned but it also, as you’re putting the story together at home, keeps you focused on the theme. That’s something I realized driving home tonight so I thought I’d include it here. This is the kind of stuff I think about when I’m stuck in traffic and the radio doesn’t work.

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, November 13, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

Rules & Guidelines: https://freshgroundstories.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/storytelling-rules-and-guidelines/

Quick note: A few people asked me after our last show where they could get a copy of Moreah’s memoir. Moreah is the woman who charmed us all at the last show with a story of some of her adventures. She is probably 20 years older than me and acts 30 years younger. She’s one of those people that make you wonder why you aren’t going out and doing all the things you said you were going to do when you were growing up. If you’d like a free PDF of her book email her at: moreah@comcast.net and in the subject line, say PDF of Diving Right In. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com