Story Weekend: The Best Thing About Me
Okay, I’m not talking about myself here! Story Weekend is your turn to talk. What’s the best thing about you?
If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. As always, there are a few “rules”:
▪ The story must be true
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge. Happy writing!
I recently read “Love & Death: My Journey through the Valley of the Shadow” by Forrest Church, Unitarian Universalist Theologian and Author. In fact, I have read it twice and will probably read it many more times. There are many quotes filled with his wisdom. One of my favorites is “want what you have; do what you can; be who you are.” For the majority of my life I feel like I followed the last part of the quote but not the first two as well as I could have. Now as I rapidly approach 70, it is easier to follow all three. I am very grateful for who I am, what I have and for every day that I can still do what I can.
I love that quote, Barbara. Thanks for sharing it.
I sat here trying to think of something to write for awhile before I realized how sad that is. Why should I have to think this hard to think of “the best thing about me”? I feel like everyone always says you should love yourself, but the same people would judge you as being conceited if you were to say something good about yourself. This has lead to people overanalyzing themselves when the answer to the question should be simple. I find authors are probably more aware of their best qualities than the average person because they create characters and whether consciously or unconsciously, tend to mirror these characters after themselves. I see this in your novels Diane; similarities within your female characters. I feel like if I met you I’d know exactly what to expect! Maybe I should write a novel and then I’d know what the best thing about myself is.
lol, Sarah. How about you ask someone who loves you what the best thing is about you? I bet they’ll have an answer.
I like to think that the best thing about me is that I am resilient. I’ve always looked for the best in people and when things get me down I don’t take it out on others. I’m known for being happy go lucky, but I have been tested a lot lately. My mother has ovarian cancer and has had too many hurdles to jump being 71. My husband has many health problems and he no longer works. We moved from our small town that I have lived in for 51 years and now I have to drive a half hour every day. But…… each day I wake up knowing that I can start all over and make the day how I want it to be.
love your positive attitude, Cindy. There’s a lot to be said for resilience.
I took your advice and asked someone that loves me what the best thing is about me since I couldn’t see it myself. I was told that I’m a great boredom buster. I seem to be able to think of fun things to do, like I have a “Mary Poppins bag” of ideas to pull out at a moments notice. For example, take a ho-hum afternoon, let’s scrapbook a page of photos, I have lots of embellishments for the page…what? no photos? then let’s take a camera and go for a walk around the lake and go back to the house and scrapbook nature photos or let’s take a tour in our own town, stop at and take photos of restaurants, book stores, grocery stores, ice cream stores, etc. we frequent and create a scrapbook page of “favorites”. Wanna stay in? Let’s create that pinterest recipe for Olive Garden’s Salad Dressing and enjoy an afternoon salad. I love creating memories with friends/family.
Wow, Robyn, now THAT’S a great skill to have!
The best thing about me is I accept people for who they are not what they have. I try to help where I can, when I can, whether it is monetarily or physically. I love the life that God has given me and I try to reflect him in my actions.
I cherish all God’s creations and love to learn as much as possible about this place we call home.
Carol, a great way to live.
The best thing about me is change. In 2010 I became pregnant to Harry, now 2 & a half years. It slowed me down at work & that was a huge change. After my pregnancy, I had lost 20kgs through pregnancy which was a massive change. Through undiagnosed yet suspected post natal depression, I put on 10kg, also a massive change. In Jan 2012, I found out the hard way I had anaphylaxis to Non Sterioidal Anti-inflammatory drugs, a chemical change in my body caused by pregnancy very near killed me. In August 2012, doc told me I had to lose 25kgs to be healthy – a massive change I found hard to accept – yet 10 months later I have lost nearly 20kgs & going strong. A happier, healthier me has changed for the better; to be there for my son, which one day I hope to write all about in my very own novel. Change is the best thing about me 🙂
Wow, Amy! If you don’t write that novel, you definitely have great material for a memoir. Congratulations on your weight loss.
I have never been a confident person but at the moment i am four months pregnant and though i suffer feom morning sickness quite a lot, with the unpredictable irish weather not helping, i have tosay the best thing about me is that i have a little miracle growing inside me. I always loved writting but i never found a way to go further about it as i am not so well off to be able to fund any publishing but after having a miscarriage three years ago, this new life inside me is giving me more and more motivation.
Congratulations on your little miracle, Emily, and it costs very little, if anything, to get published. You can do it yourself if you can’t find an interested publisher. The main thing is to work very hard on your manuscript. I have a feeling, though, that you’re soon going to be too busy to write!
This is so hard. I guess the best thing about me is that I have actually learned from the lessons that life has taught me. I have learned the hard way that life is not All about me and that each person I meet on the street with worry clouding their eyes, has their own story to tell and that it is my job to just shut up for once and listen. Sometimes my compassion makes me want to ride in on my white stead and try to fix it all when the reality is that my ear and myshoulder is often all that is needed. I am a fixer by nature. Been there and got a drawer full of t-shirts. I want the world not to hurt as I have. It’s not easy. I am a work in progress.
“Life is not all about me.” What else is there to learn?
Oh, wow. I’d really rather comment on what I think the best thing about someone else is! Though, I did want to complement you, Ms. Chamberlain, on this concept of asking this question. Very excellent opportunity for engagement. Ok, that said, maybe the best thing about me, is my desire and striving for engagement, allowing an opportunity to create a sense of belonging for those who participate. And, it always feels good when we are helping others other. Thanks for doing that, Ms. Chamberlain, in your story weekend exercise(s). -Deborah
I bet you’re the type to talk to strangers on a train, Deborah. Thanks for participating!