Storytelling as a respite
/Storytelling is my profession, my passion, my vocation. It is also my respite from cares of the world.
You may have heard about "the healing power of storytelling." By this, people usually mean that the listeners are healed. I know that stories can be healing but--and this is vital to understand--I am not in charge of this. I can choose stories with powerful themes to tell at times when they may be needed, but it would be sheer hubris to say that I heal others with my stories.
At the same time, telling stories is a way I find solace in times of sorrow. Sometimes it is the story itself that helps me, sometimes just the act of telling stories; sometimes it is eliciting laughter or contemplation in the listeners that brings me to an easier place.
When I'm feeling low during slow seasons, I invite myself to a preschool or two to tell stories. It works like a charm.
When my father died ten years ago, I was performing in Belgium. At the moment he died, I was telling one of his favorite stories, "The Twist-Mouth Family". I often tell that story in his memory now.
What stories have you told that offer respite? What stories have you heard that bring you solace?
