noun: story; plural noun: stories
- an account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment.
- an account of past events in someone's life or in the development of something.
The rose pictured above is called Arthur R. Goodwin, named after my paternal grandmother's relative. He loved roses and the famous French hybridist J. Pernet-ducher named this delicate, salmon pink tea rose after him in 1910. I have one of a handful of this variety in my garden, all of which are descended from the original 12 plants sent to my ancestor.
I was not a great fan of roses until this one came into my life. This plant's story brought a sense of meaning to my tending, to the required feeding, to the harvesting of its thick, velvety and sweet scented petals, to the autumn pruning. There is a legacy held by this plant that makes it unique. When deer started to get into our garden, and they love eating roses, I felt a sense of protectiveness towards it.
Such is the power of stories. Some stories discredit and cheapen, others enrich and bring value. Our lives, our culture, our systems are all shaped by stories, holding them together like glue. Stories can shift in a moment, and with that can come great change, and some, persistent like weeds, refuse to be defeated. Learning about our own stories and those of the places, people and cultures we live and work within has always been a fascination of mine. I have also loved the fictional stories that can speak about what might have happened, what could be, and the myths that bridge the three worlds of the human, more-than-human and spirit realms. I did an MA in the Poetics of Imagination at Dartington Arts School in 2021 to explore the connections between culture, place and story and to boost my own creative practice as a writer. You can access my work on Substack under bridgethe3worlds.
This interest in the power of stories feeds into my work as a coach and Feeding your Demons facilitator. When we identify what stories are shaping our experience we can choose to retell them, make up new useful ones, and let the old unhelpful ones go. I am also a great champion for creativity in all its forms, and will encourage you to find that in your life, in whatever ways it manifests. Creativity is a sign of life force moving through us. It can turn a rose into a story, and that story might just change the way we live our life.