A few months ago, my son got his driver’s permit.
As he’s learning to drive, I’ve taken on the role of Miss Daisy, letting him chauffeur me around town—which means I have more time to look around and take notice of the world.
Several weeks ago, I saw a guy dancing — literally dancing! — his way down the sidewalk wearing these amazing orange suede boots. I pointed him out to my driver, and we agreed that this guy knows how to have a good time.
And definitely has some serious dance moves.
Then last week, we were again driving across town doing errands, and we saw the same guy — same dance moves, same orange suede boots.
Yesterday, we saw him again, moving and grooving down the street.
My son said, “Don’t you wonder what that dude’s story is?”
We had a good laugh and tried to come up with answers to our questions:
- What leads a guy to regularly dance down the sidewalks of a small midwestern town?
- Does he have a set route he travels each time?
- How often does he do this?
- What music is he playing on those headphones he’s wearing?
- And why the killer orange suede shoes?
I’m always curious about people’s stories. I wonder about the single shoe, boot, or sandal that’s in the middle of the road and the people who are now one shoe short of a pair.
I think my tendency to see people’s lives as stories comes from my background as an English teacher. I’ve spent a lifetime looking at novels and plays, analyzing stories and characters, and working to make sense of the narrative.
That carries over into my everyday life — I’m always working to make sense of my own life, my own story, to see character development, plot twists, and the changes in costuming, props, and scene.
It’s helpful to step outside myself and look at life from the point of view of someone reading or watching the play being crafted.
It’s interesting how one thing leads to another, how one decision hinges on something that happened before, how a change in setting changes character development.
In my career as a life-coach, I love to work with people who seek to make sense of their own personal narratives— to figure out exactly “What’s My Story?”
So this week I encourage you to take a step back and grab a front row seat, maybe even pop some popcorn. Watch your own life unfold before you.