The Art of being a Storyteller

Are you a storyteller? Long ago when I was a little girl, we would visit friends of my parents, and their elderly mother lived with them. I was excited to go there and my smile grew the minute I saw her. She was a tiny woman, traditional european in her dress, dark stockings, dark clothes that seemed a bit too big for her little body. A gold cross hanging from her neck, the chain catching a sparkle from the light as she moved. Small gold earrings with a semi precious stone dangling from them. She often wore a fringed shawl which fascinated
me. I didn't know anyone that actually wore a shawl. Her hair pulled back into a small gray donut shaped bun. I was always happy to see her.Why? Because she was a storyteller. I would sit at her feet,  with roses embroidered on her slippers, or next to her on the deep aqua colored couch, with floral swirls in the design on the firm cushions, and hang on to her every word. She would take me to places from far away and long ago. She was
not animated, but expressive with her face and eyes. I still remember her to this day. I can hear her voice, see her wrinkled hands with the large veins. I remember the stories. What a delightful and precious memory. I have several friends that love to storytell. It is an art, and something that I think is part of your personality. My dad was a joke teller, and that is a different talent. I have told a few stories in my time, and I am happy when time passes and someone tells me that they shared my story with another, "but I didn't tell it as good as you did". That's the part of the art that I so appreciate, to make the story a part of you and bring another person and make them a part of that world. The art of transending  through time or place and embracing us with words, letting our own imaginations fill in the empty spaces. A storyteller and a listener do a dance together, they feed off each other. It doesn't matter if the story is based on truth or fiction. The best stories have truth in them and the experiences themselves grow, they become fertile with imagination, creativity and the sense of wonder .Storytelling on a personal basis has gone thru changes as a form of entertainment. We are entertained sophisticated media, but that too is a form of storytelling.  Do you know any storytellers? Maybe, if you take a few minutes, close your eyes, go back in time, to childhood, or to a recent party or visit with a friend.  Remember a story. I hope I have stirred a thought, a memory and made you smile.