Tell your story!

Over the past few years i have changed a lot. There are a lot of areas of my life that have completely changed and yes, i'm a late bloomer, but i think i'd call it growing up.

Believe it or not, i'm a lot more mature than i used to be (i know just THINK how immature i was before!). I'm not as interested in changing the world as i am just to take an interest in current affairs. I am more open to things that i used to be closed-minded about. I now see young people in a completely different light. My eyes are much more open to the dangers that surround them, the activities they choose to participate in and the people the surround themselves with. I see through a lot of fake things and have learnt when something is transparent, as i make it a daily habit to be as real as i possibly can be, realising that my life hasn't always been the most legitimate life i've led.

I was chatting with a friend recently and i've realised that a lot of these changes have occurred during my last three years of summer camps in the USA. I have been entrusted with great leadership responsibilities and have been responislbe for the care of teenagers who were 12-15 years old. A lot of people, particularly here in Australia, think of summer camps in the USA as somewhat of a holiday. I assure you, it is a whole lot more than that. It's a lot of hard work but the rewards are so great and you grow interpersonally and within yourself so much.

My very first year of summer camp was the best year for me. I learnt a lot about being real with people and ever since then, it has been a growing and learning process in my personal journey.

2008 and 2009 in fact, was a time when i learnt that each of our personal stories are so important to how we deal with each other. They're also so important to 'keeping it real'. Such a freakin' deep catchphrase!!!!

So often in life, we go about not probing people about who they are or where they've come from, because we're afraid it's none of our business or something we shouldn't really be asking about, and all good and true in some cases, particularly ones where the othe person doesn't want to give any information.

But so often when we DON'T find out about the lives of others, we miss cruicial bits and pieces that give us insight into being more sensitive to who they are.

So in 2008 and 2009, that's what i've realised. I NEED to get to know people, i need for them to tell me their story so that i am more sensitive to who they are. We don't share our life story ENOUGH, that's my opinion.

There have been people in my life that have opened up and shared their story with me that i see in a whole new light now and for that it has deepened our friendship, something i always mention on my blogspot!!

But it's not a one-way street. It's just as important for us to share OUR story with others, particularly when others might be going through something we've been through before.

By sharing our stories with each other (and i'm not talking about the graphic deatails, unless that is what someone wants to talk about)l, we go deeper with each other. We understand each other better. We feel for that other person. We're able to offer better detailed advice or comfort or whatever is needed. We can't do any of that if we only know someone on a surface level.

I think, in conclusion, what i'm trying to say, is that we need to share our stories with each other more often. I'm a true believer in that and not because we need to have a cry, although sometimes we do, but rather we need them so that we can heal, so that we don't hold on to things, we need these stories so that we can offer hope and love and comfort, so that we can offer an ear to listen and to be supportive of one another.

It was only yesterday that someone shared with me a part of their own story that reminded of how important it is to journey with each other and to support and uplift each other. It reminded me to write this blog.