People you’ve never met who feel isolated and alone, go to google in distress, type in phrases about drugs and alcohol, myths, suicide, mental illness, eating disorders and more.
They land on my stories and your stories and many of them become part of our tribe. Some look up the names of your loved ones because they want to know more, they look at your pictures and read what you have to say.
They’re important. No one remembers facts, figures and most of the time, directions. They remember your stories because those are what move their souls and make them feel something. A lot of learning happens in those narratives.
The stories are definitely what connects me to many others. Understanding the struggle and seeing the brave souls attempt to heal and find their way is something facts and figures can’t portray. These things might be helpful, but it is in sharing our personal struggles and experiences as we walk our path, that we become another flashlight on the journey. As we shine our light, that path for others becomes more illuminated.
So beautifully said, Don. People remember how you make them feel and if it’s relatable, they feel they are understood and not alone