Sunday, December 11, 2011

Stories Add Value!

Do you have a junk drawer at home? We do. It's in the kitchen, and it's where we put everything that doesn't have a place. We also fill it with those items we're too lazy at the moment to put away properly. Recently, I cleaned out the junk drawer, and stuffed in the back of it was a broken, clear, pink ruler loosely held together with some tape. Before I tossed the ruler into the waiting trash bag, I asked my 16-year-old if she knew whose it was. She snatched it from my hand and told me I could not throw it away. I astutely pointed out that the ruler was broken and she could use one of the others.
Smiling she said, "You don't understand the story behind it." She then told me the story of the ruler. Now, I understand: my daughter wasn't interested in the ruler. She was interested in the people behind the ruler ad the fun they had being silly.
What's your broken ruler? The story prop you just can't let go. A good story adds value to what appears at first glance to be junk. A story can turn a trinket into a treasure.

Trinkets are lost or forgotten; props are remembered and shared. What's the story behind your broken ruler?
Let me know in the comments.

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