Do You Have a Book in You?

"Do You Have a Book in You?" by Jamie Allen Bishop


My mom and I recently took an extended drive together. I have always enjoyed those kind of drives. They seem to give us a chance to talk more deeply than other time spent together.


She asked me, "Do you have a book in you?"


I was certain she was kidding. "Of course," I blurted out. "Don't you?"


"No. I can honestly say I do not have anything to write about," she responded.


"Bullshit!" I replied in my mind. Out loud, I said, "Really? Do you really believe that?"


To my astonishment, she truly believes that she does not have a book in her.


"Freaky," I said.


I wonder how long my mom will tell herself that story?


My mother has been telling "her story" to anyone who would listen - her family first and foremost - for as many years as I can remember her speaking to me, to my friends, to her friends. It truly baffles me that she doesn't think she has a story to tell. Or rather, it puzzles me that she thinks her story isn't worth telling.


(By the way, she has a FANTASTIC story that so many people who grew up in the 50s & 60s could relate to brilliantly. I'd tell you her story, but alas, it's not my story to tell. Ay! There's the rub.)


Perhaps she's not ready to let her story "go" - so to speak. She's been telling her story for so many decades now. Perhaps she is afraid to release it into the world where she might have to respond to other people's reactions? Perhaps there's a certain amount of comfort that her private story gives her? Perhaps it's as simple as she doesn't enjoy writing?


Regardless of the reason for not feeling she has a book in her, it is my belief she certainly does. Whether she wants to tell her tale or not, that's another story altogether.


Keeping in mind my belief in multiple dimensions / lifetimes, to me our stories are made within us to heal the fractures of experiences we agreed to have. In allowing ourselves to share our stories, we are truly vulnerable - exposed for the world to see, to dissect, to embrace or to discount. In being vulnerable, we release our hold on the story (or the hold our story has on us), and we gift the world (or, at least those who read our story) with the truth - we all have our story.


Being vulnerable isn't for the fain of heart.


For me, tales of my perception manifest themselves in the written word. I cherish my stories. I learn. I honor. I release. I stand in the face of judgment, and I am free.




What about you? What's your story? If I were to ask your best friend to describe your life story, what would s/he share? Would that story be an accurate testament of your experience?




Homework: Especially if you think you do NOT have a story to tell, I ask you to conduct an experiment. Ask the person who knows you best to tell "your life story" as they see it... then ask the next closest person to you... then the next... until you have at least THREE accounts of your life story through the eyes of another individual.


Are all three stories accurate? Are they the same? In what ways do they differ? Would you tell the story (your story) another way?


Perhaps you will find they tell your story beautifully. Maybe you will find they tell it wrong. Regardless of your results, you will learn a lot about yourself. More importantly, you will learn what legacy you leave behind.


With that information, you have the opportunity to change your story, or, perhaps more importantly, to delve deeper into it with more confidence and grace.


If you're afraid to find out the answer to this experiment, it's even more important for you to do it - now. If you've ever seen the movie "My Life" (1993), you'll understand the importance of this assignment.


My experiment results: I was amazingly touched to the core of my heart to hear my story from the perspective of those who know me best, and I am still absorbing their reality. It was life altering in a phenomenal way. I highly recommend this assignment, which is why I ask it of you.


I'd love to hear your results. Share here or private message me.


Happy researching. I hope you find that you, too, have a book in you (and, I hope it's a story you are willing to share with the world).