Stories
Stories

Stories

Hon. A. Michael Snyder Hon. A. Michael Snyder

Hon. A. Michael Snyder

Respected Neutral, Mediator, Arbitrator, Discovery Master

发布日期: 2022年5月1日
+ 关注

All of us grew up loving stories. From the time that we were babies, stories were how we learned about the world. Nothing calms a child more than being held, cuddled, and read to.

Whether the story is from a book, or a recording, or just something that a loved one made up, stories move all of us. Small children naturally gravitate toward books; even if they can’t read, they love to hold a book, turn its pages, and look at the pictures.

As language develops in babies, and toddlers, we can actually watch them making up stories in their own mind as they look at the pictures in these books.

As kids get older, they begin to learn how to create stories without a book. They create characters, invent plots, and delight in telling these stories to those they love. These fantastic creations excite them, make them happy, and, for a few moments, take them to another place.

At even the youngest age, kids love watching a story be told, whether on tv, at the movies, or, perhaps, in a play. The look of awe on the face of a child seeing a live play for the first time is something to behold. They laugh, they cry, they cover their eyes, they grab the hand of someone who is with them. In short, they react to the story that is being told. At the end of the play, kids often say, “Do it again!” For a child brought into a world of instant replays, it’s often hard to get them to understand that the actors can’t just immediately do it all over again.

As we grow up, this joy in hearing a story or seeing a story, never goes away, no matter how sophisticated we think that we are. Who hasn’t felt themselves getting a little misty-eyed watching a particular movie or show? Who doesn’t find themselves rereading a favorite chapter or page in a book?

What’s even more interesting is that no matter how many times we read, see, or hear a favorite story, we still laugh, cry, or otherwise react the same way to that particular moment in the story.

I thought of these things this morning as I found myself getting sucked into a true story about a boy and a dolphin, made into a movie called “Winter”. As I watched, I found myself becoming overwhelmed with emotion at the story as it unfolded. I didn’t plan on this happening to me; I didn’t know what to expect. But as I watched, I found myself becoming one with the characters in the movie. I hoped that things would work out okay for the dolphin, the boy, and those around them.

Now, all of us like a happy ending to a story. It’s probably one of the oldest tricks in the book of the writer, playwright or story-teller. We want to feel the joy of survival, redemption, success or any other positive emotion.

Maturity teaches us that not every story can have a happy ending. As we look around us, we see that reality, and the world, isn’t always happy. Things happen that make us sad, or angry, or afraid. Survival for all of us means that we have to recognize that bad things do happen; endings aren’t always happy.

But, if there is one continuity in life, one thing on which we can always depend, it is that there is always going to be someone to tell the stories of what happened. We learn, we grow, we feel pity, sorrow, loss, and hopefully, empathy. These emotions, the signs of humanity, develop because of stories, those who tell them, those who experience them, and those who remember them.

I hope that all of you can remember the joys of being told a great story. I hope that in spending these few moments reading this piece, you remember a story that particularly moved you, whether that story is true or not. If you do have such a memory, tell the story to those you love. If you have a moment or two, tell it to me. I’d really love to hear it.

Mike Snyder

[email protected]

?

要查看或添加评论，请登录

Hon. A. Michael Snyder的更多文章

  • Red, White and Blue?
    2024年7月5日

    Red, White and Blue?

    Today is the 4th of July… a day filled with barbecues, fireworks, flags. A day in which we celebrate our freedom, our…

    16 条评论
  • You've Got to be Carefully Taught
    2024年3月30日

    You've Got to be Carefully Taught

    I haven’t written anything in a while and I feel somewhat guilty about it. You see, I’ve tried to find things that make…

    3 条评论
  • When Words Fail
    2023年10月15日

    When Words Fail

    For those of us who enjoy writing, the words placed on paper provide a snapshot of our thoughts, feelings and emotions…

  • Come On In and Sit a Spell
    2023年7月14日

    Come On In and Sit a Spell

    If you’ve ever watched a TV show or a movie set in a small town, or on a farm, chances are that one of the characters…

  • When I Grow Up I Wanna Be A...
    2023年6月19日

    When I Grow Up I Wanna Be A...

    Fireman. Soldier.

    4 条评论
  • Bigger is Better... No Littler is Better... No Bigger... No Littler... Oh Whatever
    2023年5月26日

    Bigger is Better... No Littler is Better... No Bigger... No Littler... Oh Whatever

    Anybody who loves listening to music, and who doesn’t, appreciates the importance of the equipment used to play it…

    1 条评论
  • Tablecloths and Pastries
    2023年5月13日

    Tablecloths and Pastries

    It’s funny how certain sights, smells, and sounds can trigger memories, taking us far away from the present. Without…

    4 条评论
  • Holiday Lights
    2022年12月21日

    Holiday Lights

    For someone who doesn’t decorate with lights for the holidays, I have to confess how much joy I get from looking at all…

    5 条评论
  • Of Turkeys and Terror
    2022年12月1日

    Of Turkeys and Terror

    Last week we celebrated one of our favorite holidays: Thanksgiving. After all, who doesn’t love a holiday where the…

    1 条评论
  • Bond.... James Bond
    2022年11月7日

    Bond.... James Bond

    I suspect that there are very few males over the age of 15 who don’t immediately get a visceral reaction to the three…

    1 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了