I have always loved writing, every form of it. I love music, movies, poems and almost every book I’ve ever read, for what feels like since the moment I was born. As long as I’ve been reading, writing and listening I can’t help but notice a form of writing that I’ve forgotten.
Earlier this week, I was watching the YouTube channel called Cinema Therapy and one of the co-creators, Johnathan Decker, said something that stuck with me: “My life is the greatest blessing I’ve received, and I remember that when I keep a record of it.” As I’ve gotten older, I put a lot of effort into writing about serious and important topics.
I used to journal and write about myself, thinking back to middle school when I would write in large letters, taking up a whole page with two sentences. Writing about what I had for breakfast and what I did before bed. That was enough. Now I wonder when my everyday life stopped being important enough, even for me to document. If somebody were to ask you to tell them a story, what would you say?Â
Since the beginning of human existence, we have told stories. From caveman painting on walls, to the invention of film, stories have impacted almost every part of human existence. It is important to keep the art of storytelling alive in as many forms as it can exist in. As it is one of the foundations for human evolution, an important one, the world we live in today would be significantly different without the impact of telling stories.
From nursing rhymes like Jack and Jill to books like To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, to films like Lego Batman, written by John Whittington and directed by Chris McKay, to conversations between people. The encapsulation of the human spirit, in its good and bad, is a gift. Stories put victory, hardship, love and pain into a timeless capsule and is one of the few human creations that is ever evolving. When taking stories you are introduced to a variety of perspectives and a person you didn’t know you were capable of being.
My memories are true but fading and age has made it harder and harder to remember, which reminds me of the quote from the animated film Soul “Regular old living.” One day you and I will forget who we are right now. One day your favorite band or movie or book will slip your mind and that is why it’s necessary to remember that your life is important to write about.
Before he’d said the previously written quote Decker also said this “And, that’s why- one of the reasons why is so important to journal- it helps me to remember and to not forget the people and the experiences that matter so much to me.” What you had for breakfast matters, because your value is not found in what you are capable of or what you offer but in the simple fact that you are alive. Life is so much better when you go and live it. Please, pick up a pen, computer, camera, whatever you need to document whatever happens next, you’re not going to want to forget it.
Anybody can tell a story.