Where Are You Going?

Summary

The web content reflects on the personal and collective narratives that shape our lives, emphasizing the importance of storytelling in understanding our actions, emotions, and the world around us.

Abstract

The article delves into the concept of personal narratives, suggesting that each individual is the author of their own life story. It explores how stories influence our perception of reality, often serving as a coping mechanism or a means to justify our behaviors. The narrative we construct for ourselves can be a source of inspiration and joy, or it can be a defense mechanism that distorts the truth. The author, Elizabeth Hill, emphasizes the significance of being present and aware, as every moment contributes to the unique story of our lives. She encourages readers to recognize the value of their experiences and the stories they tell, which collectively form the fabric of our existence and identity.

Opinions

The author posits that our stories are deeply intertwined with our sense of self and the way we navigate life.
Storytelling can be both a positive force for inspiration and happiness, as well as a tool for manipulation and self-deception.
The more one feels guilty, the more one's story may become distorted, using elaborate plots to justify harmful actions.
We often get lost in the tales we weave, focusing on the daily grind rather than the profound moments that shape our narrative.
Being fully present and mindful is a skill that enhances our ability to capture and appreciate the unique experiences that form our life stories.
The author, Elizabeth Hill, values the diversity of human stories, recognizing that each person's journey is influenced by their surroundings and cultural background.
Hill advocates for the importance of remembering and cherishing significant moments, as they are irreplaceable and enrich our life's plot.

What’s Your Story?

We are the keepers of our tales. We live them and easily tell them embellishing, minimizing, it doesn’t matter. Friend, neighbour, stranger or family everyone needs someone to listen, someone to hear them. Even in our silence, we are living a story.

We rejoice or complain about the world our stories have created around us. Either way, they are ours and guide us on our journey through this life. Sometimes we chronicle fictional events to justify harmful actions of our own. Blaming and demonizing another human requires an opera, a plot so believable we sigh and cry and coerce others to weep with us.

The more guilty we are, the worse our report becomes. It twists and flips the truth weaponizing words in defence so thick the lies are no longer visible.

We dream of alternative realities to survive the actions of others when the truth is too painful to bear. We become shadows of ourselves watching from the balcony as the fictional us overpowers our stage.

We are the writer, the editor and the publisher of our lives. The most important stories of all are the ones we tell ourselves.

It’s easy to get lost in the tales we tell. Our focus is generally on work, family, when, how, and where we will get through our day. We are living stories, moving, shouting, corralling others so they can hear what we have to say. Everyone is a story as we become, live and create the narrative that is us.

We all make choices, take actions and reap the benefits or consequences from the moment we open our eyes to the moment they close in sleep at the end of the day. We each are creating and living in our stories, and whether they are true or not, they are real to us who create them.

Sometimes we share our stories to inspire comfort and happiness. We want others to be happy with us. Wherever we are going, we naturally share our joy.

Photo by ElizaBeth Hill

I have often found myself in places or with people in situations I know I must remember. I slow down, observe and record the moments in my mind realizing that nothing like this will ever happen exactly the same way again. Those are the stories that are imprinted on my soul.

I think to myself, remember where you are

Those moments are treasures, bits of consciousness placed inside the puzzles boxes of our lives. One day we will retrieve them and put them when and where they are needed the most. They have a place in the plot of our lives.

Being present and living moment by moment in complete awareness is an achievement, a crafted skill that we gain if we choose to. Most of us hurry through life so busy we often miss the moments with the greatest potential. We are influenced by everything and everyone around us, by those we love and even those who have no connection to us. Regardless, awareness, presence, choice are ours and ours alone.

We are building the bones of our story

In every direction of this world, there is a place, a people, language, and culture existing upon the land. Whether the ice fields of the arctic or the boxed jungles of concrete cities, these places hold the frequency of our origins and remind us that we are all stories.

I regularly wonder, “Where are you going? Remember where you are. You might never experience a moment like this again.”

What’s your story?

Elizabeth Hill is Kanienkeha:ka (Mohawk) and writes from experience and a passion for storytelling. She is a songwriter, multi-disciplinary artist, and writer whose work has taken her to exploring Indigenous lands and voices around the world. Exchanging songs, ideas, the power of sound and stories to celebrate the beauty of the good mind upon the earth she is an extremely dedicated artist.