What's Your Story?

It was Monday afternoon, the day after Easter. A call to customer service to deal with a cell phone challenge, kept me on the line longer than anticipated – I miss two calls from my husband. Later when we did connect, he relayed some startling news – his uncle had just been killed in a car accident. That icy chill traveled quickly from the base of my neck, down my back and through the back of my legs. I found my way to the floor to sit in attempt to absorb the shock.


This was the uncle who was an entrepreneur, who preferred to call his own shots, who took pride in going after what he wanted and built a financially secure future for himself, his children and his grandchildren. He and his wife were never content sitting at home – they traveled the world and experienced many cultures and people. When he shook your hand, it was always a firm handshake and he looked you straight in the eye. An outsider would say, he “led the good life”. I would say, he was determined, decisive, hard working and believed in himself – he led by example.

Over the last 20 years, I saw this man only on occasion, but I looked forward to each encounter. My favorite thing to do, when in his presence, was to just sit quietly and listen to him tell stories. Boy, did he have some tales. Sometimes it was a funny story of some people they encountered on a cruise ship or a quirky question he was asked by a business client. Sometimes it was one of those pride-filled stories of time spent with a granddaughter. Yet other times, he spoke of the scenic wonders he experienced with his eyes while touring an exotic land. With a grin on my face, I wondered, if time permitted, could he continue entertaining forever?

Today the family is faced with the reality that there will be no more stories. Those precious stories were filled with golden nuggets of wisdom which the listener could gain an education. Those precious stories not only entertained me but opened my eyes to a new perspective – a bigger world. I cherish the moments I was afforded to spend with this man. Today, the thought that crushes my spirit is realizing that the opportunity to glean the golden nuggets of wisdom from the experiences of this man…are gone. Now I must face the fact that his wisdom will go to the grave with him.

This tragedy has given me a new perspective for the project I am working on. The Wisdom Project (http://www.thewisdomproject.info/) was birthed with the belief that each time one person shares their wisdom – another person is strengthened. One of the best ways to share that wisdom is to put our thoughts/ideas/experiences to paper and share them in book form to reach people across the world. That is just what The Wisdom Project has committed to do – collect your stories of wisdom and pass them on.

No one knows how many days they have left to live. Yet while we are here, we have the opportunity, if we choose, to take a few moments and write down some words of wisdom. How many days do you have left to share your wisdom – to pass it onto the next generation? I encourage you to take the time to write what wisdom means to you and submit it to yourstory@thewisdomproject.info so your legacy can carry on.

What's your story? 

Someone out there is waiting to hear it!