Life is all about stories. They’re central to life and they’re always amazing if you look at them in the right way.

I love stories. When I talk to others about them, there’s a tendency to immediately focus on books as the main source of stories but if you look deeply enough, they’re everywhere.

• They’re at the heart of every TV show we watch, whether fiction or factual.
• They’re at the heart of every film, whether fiction or factual.
• They’re in every song and album.
• They’re in most social media posts we see.
• They’re deep inside every single person we speak to, regardless of whether that person is someone you’ve known all your life or a complete stranger. When we meet old friends and tell each other what we’ve been up to, that’s storytelling. When we talk to friends regularly and ask how their day has been, that’s storytelling. When we meet someone new and ask them questions to get to know them better, the response is storytelling. It’s everywhere.

When I need to pick myself up during those inevitable down-days we all experience from time to time, I seek out stories. They’re an escape. They’re comforting. They always make me feel something, whether that’s joy, sadness, anger, love, gratitude, or just about any other emotion you care to mention. That’s why I always look for stories with the excitement and anticipation that a child does when encountering a new experience. To a child, everything is wondrous, exciting, and interesting, even if only for a short period of time. In a child’s world, there’s always something to learn. There are no limits to how far imagination can reach. There’s no cynical, jaded, world-weary view of everything. Just a desire to know things and learn more. To focus on something without distraction. To truly listen and take things in. There’s a lot to be said for that, particularly when we become adults and life can seem to beat that excitable and positive approach out of us…

To finish, a few of my favourite quotes on stories and life:

• Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone is a writer. Some are written in books, and some are confined to hearts.
• Everyone has a story. Be willing to hear it before you judge.
• Everyone has a story left untold, so never judge someone as if you know their entire story because the truth is, you probably don’t.

As always, thanks for reading and take care.

Best wishes.

Mick