Paul Harvey and Mike Rowe walk into a bar . . .
Probably waiting for the punch line, aren't you?
I was listening to a podcast recently from John Grisham's Book Tour podcast and he was speaking with author Ron Rash about storytelling. More specifically, oral storytelling. The kind told after a long day of work, after the supper dishes have been cleared away, and the reminiscence of days gone by flow freely from one's lips.
I reflected on my own life. I grew up in northern Minnesota. Now, I don't know if it's a regional thing or a reflection of my Scandinavian upbringing, but there are many stories I have been told over the years, many of them repeatedly.
And I still love to hear them.
This is something I feel I've passed on to my children as well. Our middle child keeps asking me to tell her about this or that. These are stories I've told many times. But she still likes to hear them.
When The Force Awakens came out in the theaters almost two years ago, I took my kids the second weekend. While we waited patiently in line, there were a group of people behind us--okay, there was one heck of a line behind us, but that wasn't the point. In the group right behind us was an older lady who had a voice that seemed to carry--we all know people like this, ones who can whisper and they can be heard several feet away. I honestly can't remember what she was saying, but it was funny, for I said to my kids, "Hey, who needs stand-up comedy. Just stand in line at the theater." Our three kids burst out laughing . . . and it's a memory that they carry with them to this day.
I grew up listening to Paul Harvey on the radio. Even though his bits were only a handful of minutes long, I still loved to hear the stories. Mike Rowe has a weekly podcast, where he spins a tale in much the same way as Mr. Harvey. Some days I can guess who he's talking about, others I haven't a clue.
This goes with songs too. If there is a story behind it, those are my favorites.
I love hearing stories. Funny, dark, it doesn't matter.
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