Choosing A Positive Perspective
My interest in stories, like many others, began at childhood. I loved reading Doctor Seuss and had endless fun discovering new stories like Charlotte’s Web, Alice in Wonderland, and The Jungle Book. It didn’t take long before I began telling my own tales.
My first stories were inspired by what I had already read. I wrote about the full moon reaching down from the night sky. I wrote about becoming a ghost and haunting an old house. I wrote about a monster in school, attacking bullies and mean teachers. Each tale was a way to control situations that I couldn’t otherwise control.
During my high school and college years, I discovered the different ways of telling a story. I could be the adventurer fighting vampires and saving a town or I could be the only survivor of an apocalypse who recalls the tale of heroism and sacrifice from those who lived and died. A favorite perspective became overseeing the entire story as a narrator, knowing what everyone was doing no matter who the story was about or where they were.
Sharing those stories made my teenage years easier to handle. No matter how difficult my life, controlling a story gave me a means of understanding as I became both hero and villain on the page. In real life, I may not know the reason behind bullies or mocking teachers, but on paper, I could create a reason for every action and learn from every experience.
As I grew up, I discovered the many worlds of employment, bills, driving and relationships. My writing became a key to understanding the world as it unfolded around me. I didn’t just react to events. I looked at everything as a storyteller. The pain of loss was a means of remembering all the stories we shared, and the struggles of my childhood became a path leading me out of those early years into a journey that shaped me into who I am today.
Losing a job was a shock and the struggle to find work became a new path, like a new chapter in life. I looked at the prospect of finding a new employer as a new journey. In time, I knew I would meet new co-workers who had tales of their own. Their different perspectives would be something to discover and with every interview, I thought about adding to my life, my experiences, and my circle of friends.
The year of 2020 was a challenge for many. I was lucky to retain my employment as I worked from home. Although I couldn’t go to the local coffee shop to write, I made my own coffee and connected with others online. I couldn’t see a movie at the theater but there were many options for seeing movies at home. Eating at a restaurant was not possible but grocery stores were accessible. Like crafting a story, life’s challenges had become opportunities. Every day revealed obstacles to overcome, I found new ways to adjust my outlook. In the end, seeing the world as a shared adventure kept me moving forward.
Every challenge life has presented feels like a plot twist; a change in the story I live. The truth is we are always the heroes of our tale. The events we face will someday become memories we share as we face hardships, overcome adversity and ultimately achieve our hopes, goals and dreams.
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