Thursday, July 09, 2009

Of Lessons & Stories

Some of the greatest lessons I've learned in my life, came from my grandfather.

Oh, there were tomes read & lessons discussed in academia to be sure- but some of the greater ones; the ones that had/have a voice and a time and a place... No, those lessons were gifts from "Crappaw" to me.

Those people in the film/television/media industry know well, the old adage "A picture's worth..."

So too, is a simple story.

And I do mean simple in it's most base. Embellishment often comes in the retelling of a favored tale; in making a thing more of someone else's so as to add one's own essence to the yarn.

The media industry as a whole certainly takes a simple tale and often expounds on it a certain grandiose quality- in many cases, rightfully so; since 'larger-than-life' often needs a little help along the trail of auteur theory.

But this is about the humble "story". A tale, a yarn- that small colloquial misnomer that gives us all a realization that life's questions are sometimes- in and of themselves- their own best answer.

I heard a character story recently that gave me a moment's pause- not only for the brilliant use of simplicity- but because it took me back to days with my "Crappaw"... It went something like this:


One day, a man sat, waiting for a train to come, to make his long journey to some far-off place; when he happened to spy a mother & her three daughters skipping up the railway platform, obviously excited over some, as yet unseen prospect.

Listening further, the man soon realized that the ladies were coming to meet their father & husband, who had been gone for some time on a business trip.

The girls were ecstatic at the prospect of finally seeing their father after what must have been a very long time. They sang and danced around their mother and once the announcement came of the arrival of the train bearing their patriarch, they all stood frozen, transfixed in anticipation as they breathlessly awaited Daddy.

Even though there was the usual bustling crowd transferring to-and-from the train, it was soon evident who the father was, as the girls shrill giggles and scamper towards one particular face in the crowd told the story.

But, the man who would be the hero to 3 small girls simply by kneeling and hugging them- strode past them, noticing only his wife and muttering, "Didn't you bring my overcoat?"


The story, on the surface, could be one of perhaps a strained and tired father-figure who might have met defeat in his job prospects; or perhaps a gruff-yet-lovable curmudgeon we'd expect to know as a neighbor, relative or business associate.

But what if he was supposed to be "The Hero"?

By ignorance of the world around him, his one simple opportunity to be the greatest thing in 3 young lives came to a crashing end simply because he hadn't taken a look around himself.

The lesson learned is that often, our ability to explain or teach a lesson doesn't come from explaining the facts and putting them to rote.

It comes from telling a story.

I continue to be;

RusS