Tell me a story

Do you remember how in the film "Forest Gump", Forest's story unfolds as he tells his story to people he meets by chance while waiting for the bus?
Well this blog post is about how chance meetings bring about the telling of stories, I hope that you will be encouraged to share one of your own. Here's how mine goes....

Many years ago, perhaps as many as 20, I worked as a University researcher in North Wales. One of the studies I was involved in required me to go and talk to elderly people about their experiences of being in hospital and then discharged from hospital and going home, it was a piece or research I called the  'patient's journey'. I had been collecting data for a couple of months and had met some lovely people, many of whom were keen to have a conversation. While I heard many stories during this time one in particular has stayed with me. The person who told me the story was a lady who no longer lived at home but resided in a nursing home. She was very happy with the nursing home and in particular with the food, this was a common feature in all my interviews, it seemed that the quality of the food was an indicator of contentment no matter where my elderly interviewees found themselves. Anyhow the lady, lets call her Violet, kindly answered all of my questions about her 'patient journey' and then as our interview was coming to a close she looked out of her window to the sea and said,

 ' You know I often think about how frightened my great Aunt must have been when she made her journey, she must have been terribly afraid on that boat crossing the sea'.

I was used to having some random things said to me so I didn't miss a beat and replied, 'Where was she going'?
My initial thoughts had been that Violet's great Aunt had gone across the sea to Ireland but this idea was soon knocked out of my head by her next response.

'To Siam'.

' Your great Aunt went to Siam? Why was she going there?'

'She was going to teach English'.

'Wow. That is adventurous, did she enjoy it, what do you know of it all?'

'Well yes she was adventurous, I don't know if she was always that way I think it was more a case life making her that way. To be honest the stories the family know are mixed up now but yes I think she must have done, at least some of it or she wouldn't have stayed so long. Mind you she had few opportunities back home, her husband being dead'.

'So she was on her own?'

'No, she had her son with her but yes in reality she was on her own because he was very young.'

'How long did it take her to get there? Did she write to you?'

'Weeks I should think. No she never wrote to me. What we know of her are stories that have been passed around and down.'

'Well we never know what journey we are going to end up on do we? or who we are going to end up being'?

'No, that is very true. I mean who would have thought I would end up here and she would end up there.'

'What was her name?'

'Anna, they made that film about her with Yul Bryner, you have probably heard of it. I have a picture of her somewhere'.

Well now this last bit probably had the same effect on me as the stories Forest told the people he met at the bus stop, my first thought was wow that is one hell of a story, my second was was it true. Anyway it stopped me in my tracks so I sat back down and listened to Violet, and by doing so heard more stories about her life.

My response to Violet's story hasn't changed over the years, I still think it was wonderful that Violet told me the story and although I don't know if she was Anna's great niece it doesn't matter. I have come to realise over time that it isn't just the story that people tell that is fascinating but also the storytellers themselves and Violet was a fascinating woman.

Why am I telling you this? Because we all have opportunities to tell and listen to the stories of others, we should take time to share them. If you have any you would like to share then I am ready and listening.