I’ve heard some amazing stories lately. Inspirational stories. Surprising, heart-breaking, hilarious stories. Stories that had me hanging on every word. No, I haven’t been binge-watching Netflix. (Well, actually, I have, but those aren’t the stories I’m talking about.) The stories I’m talking about are the ones I hear while hanging out with a group of very interesting people. Which people? Women from CFUW St. Catharines.
Everyone has a story, but in a club of over 200 women, how many of those stories do we really get to hear? It’s hard enough to learn everyone’s name, let alone the interesting tales from their lives. We have some time to chat before our monthly meetings, plus the ten-minute break, but that’s barely enough time to scratch the surface. That’s why our interest groups are so important. Meeting the same group of women on a regular basis gives us the time to get to know each other and to hear each other’s stories.
From the time we were children, asking our parents to read us a story, to our current adult selves, stories have been an essential part of our lives. They humanize us. They entertain us. They help us make connections. They foster understanding. Every week, as I walk and talk with the women in my walking group, I hear new stories and gain greater insight into this wonderful group of women. And with every story I hear, I’m struck by how much we all contain. As Walt Whitman famously wrote, “I am large, I contain multitudes.”
I want to hear more stories. I know they’re out there. I look out from the podium at our monthly meetings at the dozens of women looking back at me, and I know that every single woman there has stories to tell. Even the most ordinary life is extraordinary.
Many public libraries are now recognizing how important it is for us to tell each other stories. A growing body of research suggests that reading fiction increases a person’s ability to feel empathy (see Discover Magazine, Aug. 28, 2020). Libraries, such as the Niagara Falls Public Library, are taking this idea a step further, and have started programs where library patrons can ‘borrow’ a ‘living book’. These ‘living books’ are individuals who are willing to have conversations and tell stories about their lives to the person who has ‘borrowed’ them. These programs aim for diversity in their choice of ‘living books’, hoping to connect people with representatives of groups they might never encounter in their everyday lives – the Black community, the LGBTQ+ community, the immigrant community, the homeless community, the senior’s community. These conversations are meant to challenge preconceived notions and promote empathy and understanding.
Here at CFUW St. Catharines, we are our own library of ‘living books’, with a vast repertoire of stories to tell, and a receptive audience eager to hear them. While it’s wonderful to learn about others by listening to their stories, don’t be shy about sharing stories of your own. Maybe your story about a difficult time in your life will help someone going through the same thing. Maybe you have a funny story that could bring a smile to someone who needs one. Your story could inspire someone. It could earn you a new friend.
I’m resigned to the fact that I won’t get to know all 200-plus members of our club, at least not well enough to know their stories, but I can definitely take steps to expand my circle. I’m looking forward to joining more interest groups once my presidential duties are done. I encourage you to do the same. Imagine the stories we might hear. After all, we are the women of CFUW St. Catharines, and we contain multitudes.