The New Story

While walking in my garden just after New Years, I found these little green shoots peering at me as I looked down. I quickly took a photo and thought, 'This represents the New Story.' I didn't have a clue what I meant by that. I had heard author and lecturer Jean Houston speak of the New Story some years ago during a Social Artistry conference but for the life of me I didn't know what relevance this little plant had. Now three weeks later, I keep coming back to this photo in my digital camera.


It's obvious with the events this week in Washington that we are living in times of New Story in light of a new administration that calls us to personal responsibility and service. Yet I keep asking myself what does the New Story look like up close and personal in my own life and how do I feel it, sense it, see it or hear it.


Like the little plant that I could have easily stepped on or overlooked, the New Story is tucked away in between the lines of my busy life like the green shoots were tucked among winter's leaves. Usually when I listen to that still small voice within I've clues as to the New Story I'm to be leaning into. The Whim, my name for the still small voice, tells me often to do the things I've procrastinated. My grandmother use to say, "If you don't use it, you loose it, in referring to her singing voice, that yes, she quit using years before she passed away." For at least three years I've wanted to take singing lessons so I finally am. As soon as I made the first appointment, I knew I was onto something. I hung up the phone, realized my palms were sweaty and my mind frozen. Fear came visiting, a sign that I was doing exactly what I needed. I noted the appointment on my calendar and got busy. Busyness is a great distraction.


The day prior to my first lesson, I felt disconnected and numb. Familiar with this feeling or lack of feeling, I quickly realized I was petrified of what the next day was to bring. Yet I drove myself to Christina's and discovered she was the perfect person to help with me my self-consciousness. (Jean Houston says, "Self-consciousness is a terminal disease." Isn't that a great line? The first time I heard this I realized I felt so sad with the realization that I was killing mySelf off out of concern as to what others would think if I were truly me.)


I felt so safe with Christina as she led me not through singing during that first lesson, but making all kinds of noises. We did motor boat up and down the piano keys, then she had me shouting "Hey" and flinging my arm into the air on the high notes as well as nasally singing out "Nee, nee, nee, nee, nee" reminiscent of the Knights of Nee in the Monty Python movie. I realize Christina is in my life to be my therapist of sorts a I get comfortable with my voice and exorcise the negative messages from the Old Story from childhood about women being quiet and not drawing attention to themselves. Those messages are escorted away when singing "Nee" and "Hey." I didn't realize they still inhabited my being until my first voice lesson....which brings me back to the New Story.

What is the New Story in your life? Is it shouting or calling to you and you don't realize it or you're just not paying attention? Is it more quietly trying to get your attention through the noticings of your heart? What stirs your heart or has it gone to sleep like mine did for so long unattended and neglencted? What ruts or habits do you get into and how long does it take you to get out once you realize you're in a rut? (Getting into nature, among people or cranking up my favorite music are great rut routers.) What things do you avoid that you tell yourself if you were someone else you might try or if you had more time? What things do people tell you you're good at yet when they do you cringe inside? Have you avoided like me taking a class that would make you stretch and lean into your fear? These are all possible clues and cues to the New Story in your life which like the little plant in the above photo has been waiting in cold dark Mother Earth (or ME in my case and YOU in yours) for just the right time to emerge. Something is waiting in each of us, wanting us to wake up so we can more fully take our place in the world. Regardless of what shows up as tomorrows headline, this is Good News! I'll sing or shout, "Hey" and "Nee" to that. - Dawn, The Good News Muse