story

Once upon a time...
It was a dark and stormy night...
In the beginning there was the word...

Is the beginning of the story the most important part? Does it determine how we'll proceed through the middle to the end? If it starts off intense, can be bear the rest of it? If begins boring, are we going to make it to the middle or the end?
Then there's the middle. Does it build to a climatic ending? Does is deliver in-depth character development? Does it lead us to the end? Do we get lost? Do we put it down after each chapter or keep reading til we can't keep our eyes open?
The ending can wrap the story up neatly tying all the loose ends or leave us hanging wanting more. It can make us think for days or weeks or prepare us for the sequel or the movie.

Our lives are stories. We see this literary comparison in so many places. Stories of lives are bestsellers, tabloid covers, documentaries, reality TV. Most of us can't imagine having our lives published. Who would read about us? Who would watch us on TV? youtube and the blogosphere have brought our life stories more closely to public. When we update our status on facebook, we communicate something of our daily story to our friends and family. The plot may be thin, but it fills in over time.

I love to hear people's stories. Some of my favourite programs on the radio (I listen to CBC almost all day when I'm at home) revolve around stories of people's lives: Living Out Loud, the Next Chapter, and anything on Q.

My story began when I was born and developed as I did into a girl, a young woman and now a woman (I won't say older, yet). I was first a baby, then a child, then a teen, then a mom. Now a wife and a mom times 3 (7 if you count the pets and I don't count my husband because that would be too easy for him). I went to school, graduated a few times, worked and then stayed home.
Weaving all these parts together has taken more than 30 years and will take a few more decades before a complete picture appears. I have yet to figure out who authored my story. Some days I think I'm the author and other days I am just a character in someone else's story. Either way, I don't know where the story is going or where it ends.

I'm still not sure whether it's the beginning, middle or end of the story that's the most important.

The plaque on my wall: Home is where your story begins.