The Gift of Story Read Free Page B

older folktales. It is possible that the old man's story was derived from the literary tale. It may have been mixed with themes from old eastern European fairy tales. "Purchasing the wonderful object that becomes useless" is a common leitmotif in the old tales, generally revolving around the selling or bartering of one item in order to purchase another, hut having the new item become utterly useless because of the unforeseen actions of
    another person or force. Sometimes there is an additional twist; inexplicably or by virtue of a change in consciousness or perspective, the useless thing becomes useful again. The Jack and the Beanstalk tale is an example of this.
    Worldwide there are many ancient stories that revolve around the idea of bitter hut instructive irony. While some deal in trivial irony, others treat issues of life and death. The story "Wolfen". or "Gellert" is about a man who slays his faithful dog because he thinks it has killed his infant child. Shortly after, the man discovers that his dog had slain a wolf in order to protect his child, who was still safe. In "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, a poor man and woman win one treasure, a pearl, while losing another, their child. Many of the plays and poems of Federico Garcia Lorca are masterpieces of hitter irony, as are many of the plays of Henrik Ibsen.
    However, the old man's and my aunt's story, though both bitterly ironic in their own ways, also contain an additional heartening twist—that love can prevail over losses. Even after all these years
since my aunt suffered a stroke and slowly slipped away from our family circle, I continue to feel a profound love and gratitude to her, and also to the stranger in the hut in the woods who strengthened someone I loved, who in turn strengthened me, so I could tell you about the gift of story, and so you can be encouraged to offer the gift of your own stories to others whom you care for.
    In this way, you see that story as gift has generativity, and genealogy. Already, just by your reading my words, we have come to the fifth generation of the story about the young man and young woman who sold their valuables, gaining items that became useless, hut which caused them to return to their ground note, the greater treasure of their love for one another.
    Someone told the old man,
    the old man told my aunt,
    my aunt told me,
    I told you,
    perhaps you will tell another,
    and the other might tell another too.
    For some stories, considerations about the right time, right place, right person, right preparation and right purpose guides when and whether the story should be told or not. But for family stories, stories from one's culture and stories from one's personal life, anytime may be just the right time to give the gift of story.
    Like night dreams, stories often use symbolic language, therefore bypassing the ego and persona, and traveling straight to the spirit and soul who listen for the ancient and universal instructions imbedded there. Because of this process, stories can teach, correct errors, lighten the heart and the darkness, provide psychic shelter, assist transformation and heal wounds.
    In our present time, there is a goodness to, and a necessity for, rugged independence among individuals. But this is often best served and supported in good measure by deliberate interdependence with a community of other souls. Some say that community is based on blood ties, sometimes dictated by choice, sometimes by necessity. And while this is quite true,
the immeasurably stronger gravitational field that holds a group together are their stories... the common and simple ones they share with one another.
    Though these may revolve around crises tamed, tragedy averted, death be not denied, help arriving at the last moment, foolish undertakings, hilarity unbounded and so on—the tales people tell one another weave a strong fabric that can warm the coldest emotional or spiritual nights. So the stories that rise up out of the group become,