Di Bassinga Diaries: What's Your Story?

Stories: we all have one. It's the realization of you—where you started, where you're at, and where you might like to go. Your story is as pivotal to your existence as your name is; without it, it's easy to lose yourself (your identity). It may seem trivial to have such a story laid out on paper or committed to memory, but it's simply the way of the world. How many of us, would be lost in this world if it weren't for the recorded words, thoughts, and actions of Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Susan B. Anthony, Edgar Allen Poe, Pythagoras, or Jesus Christ? Now, that list could go on forever, and some of those names might mean more to you than others, but the point stands. Some of us have ancestors whose names have paved the way for us to be where we are right now; these names wouldn't mean much if we had no record of why they mattered (think Ford, Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Washington, Morgan; if you asked my brothers and I, we'd certainly tell you that we'd love to see Di Bassinga among those names). But you don't need to be known across the world for your story to matter, because your story is just as important to you as it might be to the generations that come after you.

I try to urge everyone that I've taken under my wing or that's happens to have been placed there (*cough* Brian *cough*) to start writing some sort of journal to track their thoughts, ideas, and stories; this is given from my own experience. My parents gave me a journal before I left for college. At first, I kept it for the logistical things in life: to-do lists, class schedules, budget plans, things like that. But, at some point in my freshman year, I decided to start journaling my thoughts and, unknowingly, this was one of the best decisions I'd ever make. I tend to forget a lot. It's easy to get caught in the waves of daily life, the homework assignments, bible studies, quizzes, meetings, sporting events, meals, sleep, or long working hours; it's easy to get overwhelmed if you don't take a moment to slow down—more on that in last week's post—but even worse, as creatures of habit I believe that we tend to fall into the same traps over and over, countless times if we're not careful. I was reminded, a few days ago as I was looking through some of my stuff, of that first journal that my parents bought for me. In it is the story of my life, a small part of it, anyway, and it often brings this mixed feeling of humorous and peace-inducing reminiscence.

Sometimes, I'm taken back to those early days (of freshman year and before) where I felt lost or hopeless, when I couldn't see the next step. But, thanks to that decision to write, I can look back on what I did to get out of that rut the last I was there, or I can find inspiration in a dream that I'd written down and forgotten about, or maybe peace in a poem. Again, a lot of this might seem silly or trivial, but I believe that we all need a story to look back on to remind ourselves of who we are, the struggles and successes of our past, and the dreams that we once had. I'm willing to bet that every single person reading this will some day need a pick-me-up after a tough day, or week, or year. When it seems like the advice of a book, a mentor, or a friend or family member doesn't really 'do it' for you in the moment, it might be nice to be able to look at and take your own advice.

If you do decide to start putting your story into words, it may seem like an impossible task; it can be tough to know what to write, or to see the value in writing anything down in the first place. To any of the road blocks you may come across, I say this: Just start. Or take a picture or video. Maybe you want to collect things and make a scrapbook, or maybe a drawing or painting to express yourself. You could even just take notes on something you've been reading, or jot down something you heard someone say that caught your attention. Maybe your parents and grandparents have stories of a little you doing big things (or at least of something fun or embarrassing). You don't have to be a "creative" to have a story and document it, but I think you might surprise yourself. And at the very least, "future you" will thank you for the history lesson.

Verses to Look Back On:

Psalm 78:2-4

Luke 8:39

2 Timothy 1:8-9

1 Peter 3:15