2 min read
If you were given the chance to tell your story, what would you say?
How would you begin?
Would you start with…once upon a time?
…maybe, maybe not.
Did you know that according to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_upon_a_time), “Once Upon a Time” is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380…in storytelling in the English language and…has opened many oral narratives since 1600.
…and furthermore, that these stories often end with “and they all lived happily ever after”, or, originally, “happily until their deaths”.
Apparently, the phrase is particularly common in fairy tales where it is almost always the opening line of a tale.
Hmmmm…
As children, many of us recall the comforting feeling of that bedtime story, that connective calming time where we heard those words…
Once.
Upon.
A.
Time.
…and we began to settle.
Today, I am beginning to tell my story…related to something that I call Inner Trauma, or in planITgirl…IT.
IT, for me, is wide reaching…spanning 50 years now (and counting!) and, although I have yet to find IT’s “happily ever after”…I have been inspired by many respected voices to go back to the beginning…
Pictured here is a snapshot of the beginning of my very first (and really my only) fully completed “manusript” (circa 1978-ish)…
It opens with:
“Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess who lived in beautiful castle. But it wasn’t an ordinary castle. It was a magical castle but the princess didn’t know this so she just treated the castle like an ordinary castle.”
Sighhhhh…if only…
THIS is the beginning. MY beginning.
And, the beginning of planITgirl’s peek into understanding our own beginnings…our own inner child voices.
I believe we all have a story worth hearing. Even if we only tell it to ourselves.
We can all learn. We can all grow.
…and my story, well…it’s very much still a work in progress.
More to follow.
“When you change the beginning of the story, you change the whole story.”
– “Dimitri Christakis (Seattle Pediatrician)
IT is life
IT changes…and that’s OK
IT is all OK
Credits, and Kudos
Raffi Cavoukian
Dr. Dimitri Christakis
Through stories and connections planITgirl’s goal is to help people who have been impacted by trauma to understand what trauma is, and how it may be impacting them…or someone they know.
The founder is a writer and speaker who strives to share her personal journey of living with trauma and PTSD in a forward-thinking, positive, professional and connective format.
If you feel (or care for someone who feels) lost, isolated, different, stuck and misunderstood, we hope the thoughts, stories and connections shared will resonate with you.