OCTOBER 2024: Share Your Stories

Do you remember the musician Dan Hill? Some of you may remember his name and know his music. I went to his concert at Hugh’s Room recently and had a fabulous evening.

He had a huge hit in the 70’s – ‘Sometimes When We Touch’= and he has been writing what I would describe as ‘relationship ballads’ ever since. He is often brought in to write for or write with the biggest names in the music industry. His songs have crossed genres: some are Country hits, a few are duets for Celine Dion, several are Boy Bands and even Christian hits. His songwriting credits are extensive, but you’d never know. He’s so humble. Self-effacing.

He’s 70 years old now and he still practices every day, so his voice still has range, but the richness of his voice has diminished. Of course. He’s still a human being.

The stories he shared carried the concert to a higher level. It was uplifting. I left the concert hall much happier than when I arrived. He was adorable. He joked about singing a ballad in “Let’s call them my pajamas” on the phone at 3:00 am to Celine Dion and her husband Rene. Always keep a guitar beside your bed was the lesson he shared.

After the concert, I thought (again) about the importance of our own stories, the significance of sharing stories. Many people keep their stories private and the pain festers.

We learn so much by sharing stories about ourselves. Others learn about themselves by hearing our stories. They are encouraged to share their own. We begin to swap stories and a weight lifts. Right?

If you find it tough to share your stories out loud, try another way. Write your stories in a journal. Or write a short story about a tricky time in your life. It may begin to make more sense to you. We heal by sharing our stories.

You can even use poetry as a tool or write a song. No one has to read these words, but it is supportive for us to go through the process of reflecting and writing about the highs and lows of our own experiences.

As we age, I feel it’s even more important to open up and share. We have lessons to teach people before our mind or body depart. I actually fear losing my mind more than I fear my own death, but that’s a story for another time.

I want to share two resources that may interest you about sharing stories. A former speaker at Spoken Lives, Trish Tonaj has created a fabulous platform to share your business story. Share Your Stories.

A client developed an app for seniors to share their stories in podcast form. The person you interview responds to a few questions, and the app processes it to come back sounding like a polished podcast. Quickly. I think it’s fantastic and there’s absolutely no cost! Download it and try it out. Then, interview your quiet neighbor or family members and friends. At the end of each ‘interview’, you choose to upload the podcast to the website or download it and save it for your personal use. Who do you know who should have a ‘podcast interview’. It preserves their voice and a few details about their life. Remember this Podcast.

For those of you who missed our September event, I want to share what Charolette Kyei Mensah and I announced. We’re going to refurbish a library that was dedicated to Charlotte in 1996 and has since fallen into disrepair. It’s in a small community and part of a school: Anhwiam Essumendwira, Primary and Junior High School. It’s outside Accra in the community of Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Assembly in the Central Region of Ghana.  

The town of Anhwiam where Essumendwira is located has a population of about 4,000 people. The library has been neglected, but the bones are still there. The books and some furniture (and the door) have gone missing. 

We are getting quotes to have the floor leveled, some bookshelves and desks made. Charlotte will be the person overseeing that our funds are spent well. The community will provide the caretaker services and senior students at the school might be good ‘librarians’.