The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.
—Muriel Rekeyser
Tell me a story.
TRIP STATUS: 5 DAYS UNTIL DEPARTURE.
Those of you who know me well, know that I am a sucker for stories. When I was young, while all the other kids were out playing sports, I spent whole summers flipping through the old yellowed pages of sci-fi books and fantasy novels. (yeah, yeah, yeah I know. NERD ALERT. don’t judge! hahaha.) In middle school I became obsessed with expressing stories through song. And in high school I discovered my love for telling stories through musical theater.
Even though I was always involved in storytelling and storylistening (yeah I made up my own word) :), it never occurred to me to wonder why I had such a fascination with stories. What were the reasons that explained why I was completely content simply curling up for hours with a good book? How was it possible that one of my favorite past times (something I still LOVE doing) is staying up for hours talking about past experiences and future aspirations?
It wasn’t until recently that I actually thought about it.
And it wasn’t until recently that I came up with an answer.
My whole life I’ve prided myself in being someone who believes in constantly growing and learning. The world is such an amazing place, and there’s always something new to see, to taste, and to try. There are always new challenges to overcome, new adventures to be taken, and new memories to be made.
See, I guess it comes down to the fact that I never want to feel like I’m someone who is just …constant. To me, that’s when things start becoming routine… and that, my friends, is when life gets boring. Stories, on the other hand, are never constant. Even when you read the same book twice, there are always new things to discover. And the same story, when read by two different people, is completely different. From our stories we can explain who we are, reveal how we became that way, and predict how we will act in the future.
And honestly, when it comes down to it, what are we without our stories? When we are born, our story is beginning. Throughout our lives, we are writing and creating our stories. These stories are composed of experiences that define who we are, experiences that will not only help us grow as individuals, but experiences that others will also learn from. And in the grand scheme of things, when we die (okay that might be too intense to say … err - when we …pass away?), what is left but the experiences that others shared with us?
…Nothing. Well not from what I can tell, anyway. :)
And so, this is the main reason why I created this blog. I wanted to share my story and future stories with the people who mean so much to me. (This particular story is a coming-of-age adventure that just happens to occur in various European countries. ;) hahaha) No but with all honestly, every single person reading this blog has made an impact on my life and changed it for the better. Additionally, I invite you to leave comments or send me emails updating me with your stories, because God knows I will love to hear them. Seriously, tell me a story. Better yet, tell me YOUR story. And be my pen pal cause I love hand-written letters. :)
email: kellymarietran@gmail.com
**and I’ll update with my mailing address as soon as I arrive in England (WHICH IS IN LESS THAN 5 DAYS!) :)
