STORY

Husband and I met at work.

I'll share the back story with you only after we have been friends for a very long time.

You need to know that one small detail so you'll understand my state of mind when he recently returned from a business meeting in San Diego. For seven days, he hobnobbed, worked and socialized with dozens of my former colleagues and friends.  

Husband returned home, exhausted. I waited patiently until he dropped his coat, stashed his suitcase, and hugged his kids.

Then I bombarded him with questions.

Who is doing what, where, with whom, and how?   

Our conversation lasted five minutes. It was punctuated with responses like, "Fine," "Seems fine," "We all look a little older," and "Didn't think to ask that question."

The grand  inquisition ended thirty seconds later with, "Don't know. I'll listen to more gossip next time." 

Is there a superlative for frustrated?

You see, my profession is not Gossip- though I admit to being intrigued by the latest research suggesting that humans with double X chromosomes can't help but repeat a juicy secret within thirty-two minutes of hearing it.

No, rather than rumor-herald or tattler, my profession is story-teller. I want to hear the story.

Characters. Plot. Setting. Tell me details! I need Husband et al. to live, breathe, see, smell, taste, touch and dish out facts of their experience, so that when I am listening to whatever 'story' it is that they choose to share, I can live it with them. 

Learn from it. Be delighted. Inspired. Horrified. Thrilled.

This may sound over-the-top. Nutty. Excessive. Intrusive.

So let me remind you that LIFE = STORY.

From cave to skyscraper, peoplekind has survived by telling stories. From oral tradition to the scribed and published word, we've been sharing details and tidbits of character, class, cultural history, experience and ancestry from one generation to the next.  

We are obsessed with the story. 

It's why we can't look away from Casey Anthony or The Housewives. Tim Tebow versus Tom Brady. 

It's why we shut up and listen more closely when a friend drops his voice, and begins to whisper with another friend. 

It's why we constantly take photographs and videos; or monitor Facebook, Twitter, and Texts.

Consider: Every man, woman and child has a personal story. And every one of those individuals experiences-or is privy to- hundreds of new stories every day that he or she lives.

That's a whole lot of stories.

LIFE = STORY is the very reason to not fear the future of books or publishing. As long as peoplekind exists, we will continue to share stories and details of our lives and times- for all generations to come- in one medium or another. 

Tonight, I want to share a story with you. It's the tale of an aristocratic family and their servants; their relationships, schemes, outrageousness, highs and lows of life. The drama is addictive, the story-lines and dialogue well-crafted, the acting magnificent, the costumes and scenery stunning. 

Downton Abbey is receiving all sorts of accolades and awards. It's garnered the Highest Critical Review Ratings for any TV Show in history. The first season of Downton Abbey deserves all the fuss. My family discovered it last winter, streaming on Netflix. Seven episodes. Two hours each. After viewing the first episode, we watched the remaining six episodes on two consecutive week nights, till 2 am. 

We were obsessed with the story. 

But Downton Abbey is not just a testament to story; it's a testament to excellence. Proof that in a world where seven thousand options for entertainment vie for our attention, viewers will still fall in love with brilliant writing, great characters and topnotch film-making.

This past Sunday, the second season of Downton Abbey premiered. In one scene, Dame Maggie Smith-playing the hilarious, acid-tongued matriarch Violet- laments: "I hate Greek Drama, you know, when everything happens off stage."

I couldn't agree more.

Someone please tell Husband!

QUING Hereby Decrees:  Indulge the drama. Tell me your story......