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Papa
Joe ~ Stuff & Things
What Storytelling Means to Me
Community, Communication, Investment
A long time ago, when I was a child, my family would climb up into the old
school bus my father had rebuilt into our traveling home. It was big and
light blue and every one called it "Baby Blue". There were
twelve bunks,
one for each of us, and we'd live in it as my parents took us to our
favorite campsites far away.
When ever we pulled into one of those spots, we could hear the children
calling out, "Oh! The Gaudets are here! Let's play!"
And soon thirty or
so children would be at our site. We'd play folk games; Old Witchy, A Whip
for my Children, and Big Bad Wolf. A quick break for supper and off again.
Good times and free play until it started getting dark. My father
would
build up the campfire and folks from all over the campground would gather
at our site. As we settled down, my mother would begin, "Once upon a
time..."
Sometimes, others would take a turn sharing a story. Then the tales would
go on and on and I'd wake to find myself in my bunk, with sunrise lighting
up the world again, ready for another day's adventure. It didn't matter
where we went. By the second visit, everyone knew us, everyone welcomed
us. As a child, it always seemed normal. Even at home, our yard was
filled with neighborhood children. What I remember most is always feeling
safe - always knowing everyone around was a friend.
As I grew older and started traveling without my parents, I began to see
many places where there was no sense of safety, no feeling of sharing. It
took me a long time to see what made the difference. I was years into a
career as a storyteller when I began to understand the answer. It was the
sharing of stories that did the trick. Folks telling tales and folks
listening to those tales which led to the intimacy that created community.
It doesn't matter what kind of story is told. It doesn't matter where.
In
a playground telling fairy tales, in a bar telling jokes, around a campfire
with ghost stories. As the sharing is accepted, a community is
strengthened. A storyteller opens their heart to the listeners. The
listeners open their hearts to the teller and each other. This is the
investment to community. A giving of one's self to the group. In
telling
and in listening, we learn to communicate - we learn to share and to
understand each other.
Next time you go to a new place, or even an old place. Watch and listen to
the folks around you. Can you see the sharing? Can you feel the
security?
Can you measure the investment the folks are making to build a community
within that place? If you can, then you'll also hear, someone, somewhere
telling a story.
Papa Joe, Oak-n-ivy Cottage, Fremont, NH - May Day, 1997
Papa
Joe ~ Stuff & Things |