Words matter: Every once in a while, I’m reminded of just how powerful stories are and how compelled people are to capture them, both for themselves and in order to share them with others. No wonder this impulse is as old as the cave drawings created when the human race was just dawning. There is something about the need to connect and communicate that is deeply fundamental to human nature.

First, I had a call from an old friend I used to work with who has recently gone through a real valley life experience and come through it transformed. She’s been inspired to put her story on paper and called me to reconnect and for support. We had a great time catching up and discussing the work she’s doing. I passed on some basic advice about writing through a first draft, holding off editing until her story was on paper, embracing whatever writing strategy worked for her, and being kind to herself. We’re going to stay in touch.

Then I attended an open mike session at my local library. The selections people were reading were so rich and varied! There was an entertaining piece debating the merits of “pc” language as applied to people with handicaps, a story about 9/11, a memoir chapter about being a high schooler in the 1930s, an award-winning story about a beloved grandmother, a true-life sizzling romance set in Bolivia, and heartfelt poetry read by a beautiful young woman. I just loved the yin and the yang of it all — the spicy stew of memory, humor, and pathos offered by men and women of all ages and life paths. More stories are waiting to be told! So let’s write on.