Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2007. We traveled to San Diego that week and we were at Sea World waiting the Shamu show to begin. It is hard to believe Mattie is gone and to see the monumental changes in my parents! The emotional toll of all these losses just seems to be piling up. I am thrilled my parents do not have serious health issues, and I celebrate that, but at the same time, it is hard to describe the daily challenges of caring for someone with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Quote of the day: Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world. ~ Robert McKee
This morning, after I dropped my dad off at his memory care center, I came home, and got myself ready for my Zoom interview. Given that my mom was both listening to the radio and videos on her phone at the same time, I decided to give her my ear plugs, because I could hear both from my office. After Mattie died, my ability to hear the TV or the radio and concentrate simultaneously was lost.
Honestly I had to mentally talk to myself today before this Zoom interview. Mainly because I have been so used to doing interviews with my other half. We would tag team answering questions and typically built upon what the other was saying. Now, I carry the story alone. I assure you that alone is a HUGE loss. If I did not put all this fear in check today, I would have been unable to string two words together.
When I was in graduate school, my dissertation advisor taught me to NEVER speak to an audience without knowing WHO I was talking to! Seriously that was EXCELLENT advice, which has become engrained in me. So before I met with the interviewer, guess what I did? Yes, I googled her and learned that she is a cancer survivor and lost her husband suddenly to a heartache. Somehow knowing this mentally helped me, as I felt I was going to be talking to someone who has lived her own psychosocial journey with cancer.
Any case, the interview went very well and you know what the interviewer told me? She said that I was an excellent story teller! That is a high compliment to me, because it is vital to understand Mattie and my story, in order to understand what guides my leadership at Mattie Miracle. I would say that I had story teller skills to begin with, but writing Mattie's blog for 18 years has really honed in on this vital skill.
In reality, we are all story tellers! This is the best way to help others understand us, understand our experiences and perspectives and chances are people may not remember dates, facts, and details..... but we always remember the stories people share with us! Stories bring content alive and provide an intimate window into our thoughts and feelings.
