PEACE LOVE STORY

Peace Love Story Fest happened in my little town of Los Osos this weekend. It happened because of my friends and neighbors (I am so lucky to have such neighbors!) Grisel and Zack. It happened Saturday evening on a stage built just for this event at our local family owned garden center, Los Osos Valley Nursery, and Sunday at our Community Center.

Saturday night was magical, under a full moon (hiding behind fog, but we knew it was there) with Zette as our first story teller. I’ve heard her three times now and she is gifted. Then Baba The Story Teller entertained us. He traveled to Africa to research the ancient art of storytelling and wears spectacular African robes when he performs. He plays an African harp, a beautiful gourd instrument, and has a powerful voice that resonates with his spoken word and his singing. He engaged the audience. He taught us to speak and sing using words that were foreign to us and yet rolled off of our tongues.

Sunday the story telling continued. We heard storytelling, through music with Dylan Nicholson and  Ranchers for Peace.  Zette told us a story with the help of some of the children.  Baba started his time with a request of us. He told us that he felt a true magic in our little community. Many of us who live here do, too. Then he told us that his 98 year old grandmother was in Texas, recovering from surgery and he wanted to share our light and energy with her. So he taught us a song. We practiced a bit, mostly we practiced being comfortable with letting our voices be heard. The he called his mom and we left a musical message for her to share with his grandmother.  It might not have been harmonious in the classic sense of the word but it was awesome.

Working in a bookstore I am surrounded by story. Every book, whether fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography, spiritual or picture tells a story. Everyday  communication is about  story, to some degree.

I don’t know if we choose our stories, maybe we do, maybe we don’t. But I do think that we choose how we tell our stories.  With love and hope or anger and frustration. With strangers or family. With many words or just a few. Story is life. Life is story.

Live your story well!