One Festival, Three Days, and a World of Stories!

Ah, Jonesborough on the first full weekend in October for the National Storytelling Festival. That's where I've spent the last nineteen years. There's nothing like it. The small, historic town in Tennessee has hosted the National Storytelling Festival for forty years. Gigantic white tents dot the green spaces around the town and from within you can hear the voices of storytellers from around the world recounting magical tales. Tellers like the renowned Donald Davis, dynamic Jay O'Callahan, and the witty Carmen Deedy fill the stages to delight the audience. Tellers like Michael Harvey from the UK add an international flavor to the mix.

So what does this have to do with my trip to England you might wonder. Well, for the first time since 1993, I will be elsewhere. I'll be on a plane crossing the Atlantic to a country where some of the tales I've heard  have their roots. Before writing there was telling. The way to pass stories on from generation to generation for thousands of years. Grand oral traditions that were universal and timeless. At last I will be able to see the birth place of not just the folklore of more common folk, but also the great works of English literature. Soon I'll have a tale of my own to share. Probably not a great literary piece, but just maybe a little piece for the common folk like me.

Social Media

Social media, i.e. Facebook, can either be a blessing or a curse. In this case it was a blessing, or at least where this adventure begins. I saw a post by my suite mate saying something to the effect that instead of going to the beach this summer, she was going to London with her college suite mate, my roommate, Pam. Teasingly, I posted that I was jealous, since I had always wanted to go there and suggested that they should have asked their other suite mate/roommate. I was a little surprised to get a message from my roommate asking if I wanted to go. Pam knows that I've never flown, that I actually have a fear of flying (which is a whole other post for later). I figured that she probably thought that I would say no, but instead, I said let me think about it over night.

First, I went to my husband, Jay, and asked what he thought. I knew it would be expensive and I didn't want to do something that was going to cost us extra. His response was that I should take advantage of the opportunity to do something with my friends. He pointed out that first of all, I wasn't getting any younger, second that I might never have a chance like this present itself again, and third that this was a lifelong dream of mine and that I shouldn't let money stand in my way.

Next, I called my aunt. Now the reason I called my aunt is because I respect her opinion and she flew to Hawaii last year after having never flown either. My thinking was that if she could get on a plane at seventy then I can get on one at 56. Her response echoed my husband's.

Then, I called my son. It's always a good thing to ask your children what they think. "Are you serious Mom? Get on the plane!" That sounded like a yes to me.

Last, I called my best friend Carol. She flies several times a year to exotic vacation locales like Cozumel and the Bahamas. Places with warm sunny beaches. "GET YOUR REAR END* ON THE PLANE OR I'LL KICK IT ON THERE!"
*Substitute another word that is a synonym for rear end.

It's settled. I'm going. My message back to Pam: "I'm in! No turning back now that I've sent this."

This is us the last time we got together. Teresa, Pam, & Terri

In the Beginning...

In the beginning, or in this case the mid '70's, there were four young college students who shared a suite at a small Christian college. They had a wonderful time together talking, laughing, exploring. Eventually, all good things must come to an end and like most college students they graduated, good married, and had families. Over the years, their contact was sporadic. Christmas cards and phone calls mostly, until they, along with other close friends, decided to reunite for a day or two of reminiscing . Jump ahead a few years and three of those now mature ladies are going on an adventure! They are crossing the Atlantic to London, England or as it has been called by some 'Across the Pond'!