If it's all a story, why not make up something phenomenal?
History, Herstory....
It was Brooke Medicine Eagle who first challenged my story.
"Tell me about your childhood."
What follows that invitation is usually a neatly compiled memoir of one dysfunctional event, followed by many more. We groom our victim stories, fondling and cradling them until they have grown so large in our minds they overshadow and drown out the happy times in between.
It's so handy to have all those excuses for playing small, for not forgiving.
Brooke's challenge blew my story wide open. It washed away the excuses, and made my grudges seem as ridiculous as they actually were.
I was instructed to find and record my earliest happy memory. To see that memory as a bead and begin to string a necklace of happy child moments one after the other as they came back to me. At first it was rusty awkward work. I was accustomed to those well lubricated larger than life poor me dramas. They bubbled up to the surface several times a day.
What we give attention to grows. Keeping at it, more and more of these other memories showed up. Creased and faded they poked their heads through the crust of my old victim story. I found myself grinning fondly, chuckling, even blinking back tears of gratitude.
In just a few months my entire life story had been retold. I was brimming with gifts and lessons from my unique childhood. As I traveled from then to now I had been recreated.
Thank you Brooke!
Last night on my Women's Circle call we stopped to notice the stories we are currently telling ourselves. It was a great reminder. Today I did some editing and made my story about a beautiful, talented, intelligent, funny me who loves my life!
What's your story?
