The Time Honored Gift of Grandpa.

 In the seventies there was a television commercial that ended with the statement, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste."  

To be honest I can't remember what the rest of the commercial was about in the first place.  It was that iconic statement that stuck to the inner recesses of my mind.  Apparently I'm not the only old fool that remembers that statement and doesn't remember the rest of the commercial.  It has evolved from, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste", to, "The mind is a Terrible Thing."   

Remove the last two words from the line and the meaning changes substantially.  Indeed, The Mind is a Terrible Thing.  It can be exploited, or it can be a tool for evil, and likewise good, but then it wouldn't be so Terrible.  Let's just keep it simple, shall we?

Some of the youth of America have minds that are at different stages of malleable.  That is, they either have huge imaginations, or they are easily manipulated and can be convinced of things that aren't exactly so.  For instance I am a grandfather.  I know, the prospect of having me as a grand dad has sent our daughter and her husband over the proverbial threshold of sanity, because my grandkids hang on every word I say.  And I tell you, I can be a stinker.  

The art of creating stories and lies to send down the generational path to the grandkids is the time honored Duty of every Grandfather in the world.  Grandfather's unite and stand tall because we have finely reached that respected age in our lives when we are the purveyors and holders of the "Truth" of the ages, and like all truths, the stories must be told. 

One if the first and possibly one of the most honorable stories to pass down to the grandkids is the story of the "Snipe Hunt."  The Snipe Hunt story consists of the mythical Snipe and place to send the grandkids.  Preferably a forested area, a large field, maybe with a stream or a pond, a place you know hours of time can be spent hunting the Snipe.  The proper time for hunting the Snipe is just as the sun goes down.  At that time  it is hard enough to see, but light enough to get a good story started.  Fueled by all sorts of lies and myth, the Snipe Hunt is a very convenient way to get the grandkids out in the elements, enjoying something other than the tap, tap, tapping of pocket phones and or game counsels.  The idea is to send them on the "Snipe Hunt" until they have captured one.  That usually takes them up until supper when they are called back in.  Dejected because of the inability to find a Snipe.  Feeding them, bathing them, and sending them to bed is the next stage in the game.  I, the grandfather, have succeeded in my babysitting task.  

To keep the story in play, in the morning when the grandkids wake, they see the stuffed creature sitting on the mantel to prove without a doubt that a Snipe does in fact exist.  Usually this creature is an exotic animal that would not be normally living in the local environment.  My granddad would use a stuffed and mounted, Red Crested Road Runner."  A fairly rare bird in the first place.  That was our Snipe.  My grandfather was the Snipe Master.

So reader, if you are a Grandfather or will be a Grandfather in the future, remember your time honored responsibility.  That ever important task of passing down tales of Greatness, stories if the Grand Knights of Goo, the forever Realities of our Time and Space, remember that our stories, or lies create the best of the next generation and should be handled with the respect and care of time earned Wisdom.

Peace and Balance,

John

Weaving Tall Tales

 Occasionally we all run into people that will weave a story for their own agendas.  Some of these people have political aspirations and are trying to boost their curb appeal.  After all they just want our votes.  Other folks will weave stories in order to bolster business operations and add profits to their fortunes.  Then there are those folks that weave stories in order to either keep the truth from the listener or propagate a smoke screen covering up circumstances from some other operation or other.  Spy stuff...

Recently I was in the company of folks from the medical community.  For those readers that aren't aware, the medical community actually has a multi layered hierarchy built very much like a small government.  On second thought if you connect all the branches of the tree together it's not a small government at all, but a monster government that has access to virtually every country on the planet, that's not a small government.  Each part of the machine has it's own operations, therefore small, confused yet?

Without giving away any personal or medical information, during this meeting with the medical community I was given a series of stories that were weaved to cover up actual events.  After I started figuring out the actual events, I'm a scientist and speak medical fairly well, I was told that Visiting hours are from 2 to 8pm. and that I wasn't to visit until then.  Which is actually ok, as I don't want to impede any treatment ongoing through said story.  Through this experience I have learned that I've evolved beyond the getting angry about certain things.  After all the last resort if the stories weaved hurt people is a lawyer, and who wants that noise?

You will notice that the above reading is just short of using the word, "lie".  You the reader being fairly intellectual can see between any of the lines intended above.  

Peace and Balance,

John

The Art of Story Telling

 

Telling a good story is an art.  Being able to make up a good story on the fly is even a bolder art.  When I was in High School I participated as a member of the Speech and Debate team.  My chosen competitive subject was Impromptu Speaking of which I excelled.  

Competitive Impromptu speaking  involves taking a short article, a photo, an item, or any combination of  and in 3 minutes put together a short story, news article, or informational speech about the subject given.  After the 3 minutes are up you are asked to stand in front of a panel of judges and deliver a 5 minute speech based on the notes you threw together in the initial 3 minutes.  This process can be harrowing and drain your emotional fortitude.  At the state competition level the competitor is given 5 minutes to throw together a speech, and 10 minutes to deliver said speech.  

My Dad was the coach of the Speech and Debate team of the High School I attended so I was under a certain amount of pressure to perform.  Fortunately when I was growing from a youngun to a High School sized person my Grandma Gibson was teaching me the art of telling the story.  She taught me some of the verbal tales, mythology, and history of the reservation she was living and teaching on in Montana.  I learned some of the coolest mythology from the Plains Indians through my Grandma, and she taught me how to deliver those stories to whom ever would listen to me, and I told as many people as I could, I've even written a few down.   The neat thing about telling old stories that are meant to be shared is that you have the liberty of changing them to fit your needs.  I tell stories as a healing technique for people who may or may not be suffering from some sort of physical or emotional malady.  And they work.

Telling stories can also be a form of entertainment.  Watch any stand up comic perform and you will see the Art of Story Telling at different levels of development.  Each story teller has their own ways of delivering, and processing the information into a funny and cohesive set of words that makes the listener's ears perk up and grabs their attentions.  When you have the listener's attention and focus you have them and can manipulate them with the information you are delivering.  This is when I tell you that telling a good story is a super power, and not to use your super power for evil intentions.  Doing so is an act of bad Karma and we all know how that usually turns out.  

The acts of Good Karma however can assist you in developing a good method for your delivery and creation of a good healthy story.  A healthy story doesn't not have to be a truthful story.  It is a story that is intended to entertain, grab the attention, and pass information in ways that the uninitiated may not recognize.  Sort of like passing notes when we were kids.  

As a teaching tool the Art of Story Telling is unmatched in passing on this, "Secret" information.  That's what I tell people, "These stories hold secrets to some of the oldest knowledge known to man, learning them is a responsibility."  Now, I have the attention of the listener.  After all everyone likes a good secret, right?

So, Today the Art of Story Telling has taken place of my Impromptu speaking from my High School days.  I tell old stories, I make up new ones, I mix them together, I make up lies mixed with subtle truths, and I always try to stay positive, informative, and Healthy.  Healing comes one story at a time.

Peace and Balance,

John