The older I get the more I value courage. When I sit down and think about it, most of the mistakes I’ve made in life have come down to caving in to fear. Scared to say no. Scared to say yes. Scared to do something I know must be done. It’s amazing the amount of time I’ve devoted in life to avoiding things.

A couple years ago I decided I was tired of living in fear. So I immediately did the bravest thing I could think of. I asked out my yoga teacher. I know. There were probably better ways to test my courage. But the important thing is that I did it. Even if I had to go find another yoga class afterward. What I’ve learned about courage comes down to this. The more you use it the more you have it. Last month I applied for a job that was way outside my comfort zone. It would force me to be on my toes every day. No slacking. No coasting. No sleepwalking through the daily routine. Three weeks later something terrible happened. I got the job. And now I’m in it. Most days are still scary because I don’t know what I’m doing but it feels pretty damn good knowing how scared I was to leave my old job and what it took to get this one. So that’s what we’re looking for this month. Tell us a story about doing something that took courage. Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem scary to other people. What’s easy for some can be overwhelming for others. (Most people don’t think handing in a resume takes a great act of will but it does for me.) Did you leave someone who was wrong for you? Did you move across the country alone with no prospects? Maybe you left your church or disobeyed your parents after a lifetime of doing what you were told. This is the show where we get inspired by your acts of bravery. And if you can’t think of anything you’ve done in the past go ask out your spin instructor. It’ll be fine. Trust me.

In an effort to get more people onstage we’re asking everyone to keep their story under eight minutes. So practice out loud on friends and pets to make sure it’s all together and bring it to the show on the 25th.

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, September 25, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

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

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com.

I have to tell you I’m a little nervous about this one. My son came up with it and has been bugging me to make it an official theme for a few months now. You can understand my dilemma. I’ve always encouraged him to say yes to things he’s scared of and to speak what needs to be spoken even if it hurts. Of course, I thought we had an agreement that he should only do that when it didn’t involve me. After everything I’ve done for him he makes me take my own medicine? But I’m going to make this the theme for our next show and have faith that whatever he says about me or his mother is something that needs to be said. In public. With a microphone. What could go wrong? Depending on how it goes, our next show will either be about trust or retribution. That was a joke. I trust him. Mostly.

So bring us a story about a time you realized your parents were human. Or about a time when you failed as a parent yourself. There’s a lot underneath stories like this. Realizing your parents are human is the first step in growing up and realizing they were people before they were parents. Falling from grace yourself often completely changes the relationship you have with your own kids. If you’re lucky it gets stronger. That’s how I try to look at it anyway. My kid still probably hasn’t forgiven me for the time I chased his cat around the house with squirt bottle because she pooped in my hat.

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, August 28, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

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

Please do your best to keep your stories under 8 minutes. The tighter everyone’s story the more people we can get onstage 🙂

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com.

Fresh Ground Stories: Being Humbled

So far this year I think I’ve been humbled about 173 times. That may seem like a lot but it’s less than my personal record setting pace last year where I ended up being humbled approximately every 15 minutes for 365 days straight. This includes sleeping. If there was a bump in Pfizer stock last year it was probably from my personal intake of Zoloft.

The good thing about all this is that I made it. A big part of making it was deciding I had to tell the story. I knew the last step was to try to make something beautiful out of the worst time in my life.

And that is what I’m asking you to do. Dig down into your secret stash of comeuppances and tell us about a time you were humbled. Tell us how you got through it and what you learned from it. I know this is a hard one but it’s going to be worth it. Every story you tell at this show will make it easier for someone in the audience to deal with their own humbling experiences. There’s nothing like shared embarrassments to make us all feel better, right?

Let’s hear it for the learning things the hard way! Humblefest 2014!

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, July 24, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

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

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com.

Isn’t it exciting when you figure something out for the first time? Just this week I discovered that if you keep a Qwest technician on the phone long enough they’ll finally just give up and send you a free modem. This afternoon I learned from my trainer that instead of starving myself to get a six-pack I should “learn to love my body” whatever that means. My internet connection is still spotty so I haven’t been able to Google that phrase.

Next month’s theme is about things we’ve discovered or maybe uncovered. Did something happen once that brought out courage you didn’t know you had? Did you find out from the neighbors that your house used to be owned by a famous Gazpacho crime boss? Was your mother a spy for the Allies in WWII? Did you come to find out after years of self-loathing that you’re actually a kind and generous person and not the selfish punk your mother said you were?

It’s a big theme. Almost any story could fit. Discovery (self and otherwise) has been a big theme for me the past year or two and it’s time I start asking other people what kind of discoveries they’ve been dealing with.

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, June 26, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

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

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Paul

freshgroundstories@gmail.com

I’ve never been very good at bouncing back. I have a hard time even relating to people who “move on” or “have no regrets.” No regrets?! Seriously? I’m still regretting the Toyota Camry I bought in ‘92. Most of my life has been spent muttering “if only” instead of “what if?”

Lately, though, things are beginning to change. Last year I had to decide whether I was going to cave in or rise above. I chose to rise above. It was a pretty weird feeling at first. Choosing gratitude over regret is totally unnatural for me. It was like learning to eat left-handed. But now, a year and a half later, it feels kinda ok. Like maybe I can keep doing it. My friend Jill said once, “It’s not the baggage you carry but the way you carry your baggage.” Jill’s pretty smart. She says stuff like that. So now I get to choose if I drag the baggage behind me or throw it in the air and learn to juggle.

And that, Fresh Ground Story people, is what we’re looking for next month. Tell us a story about hitting bottom and bouncing back. Lose your job? Your car? Your wife? Your mind? I know the mistakes you made are probably embarrassing but I’ll bet you anything someone in the audience has been there too and would love to hear how you pulled through.

Don’t forget, in an effort to get more people onstage, we’re shaving the time down to 8 minutes. So practice your story on friends and pets to make sure it’s somewhere between 5-8 minutes long.

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, May 22, 7:00pm at the Roy St Cafe.

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

Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Paul
freshgroundstories@gmail.com.