When we were young children, at least back in my childhood days, we used to love reading and hearing those “Once Upon a Time” bedtime stories, many of them adaptations of Aesop’s Fables, or taken from the Tales of Mother Goose, or taken from the pen of The Brothers Grimm.

On the Saturday Morning cartoon show, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, one of the segments included lessons in World History from the most accomplished canine in history, Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman, and their time travels using their Wabac Machine.

Another segment was called Fractured Fairy Tales, featuring different twists of tales from Mother Goose, Aesop, and The Grimm Brothers. I distinctly remember the voices of Edward, Everett Horton, Hans Conried, and Daws Butler in that segment of the series, relaying comedic versions of some of our favorite stories as children.

As we go through life and do some things we do, we transition from hearing and/or reading those stories to delivering those stories to our own children and grandchildren. Beyond those stories, we find ourselves recalling anecdotes, memories from school days, family times, our neighborhoods, our jobs, thus creating our personal stories, then sharing those at reunions, parties, even funerals. Now, it’s not just The Brothers Grimm, Mother Goose, and Aesop who are storytellers, we all have our own stories to tell.

Most of those stories are based on our life and experiences and we tell many of them (not all) to our children as a part of our family history, but we also share them with others in discussions, speeches, eulogies, writings, etc., and as we wonder about, and try to validate our legacy on this earth, many of us look at the stories we can tell.

I was once interviewed by Greg Peterson about my involvement at the Robert H. Jackson Center, and I remember his putting one of my statements in that interview first, as the opening of that vignette. My words were, “If one measurement of your life is how many stories you can tell, then, man, I’ve had a full, full, full life.” I’ve been blessed to have had countless numbers of opportunities in my life, resulting in even more countless numbers of stories I’m able to share, and I do love sharing them.

I love reminiscing with people who are part of those stories. I love using those stories where they may be able to help me help others in their lives, be they friends, family, students, athletes, colleagues, or people in a room as I emceed events, represented the Jackson Center, or presented to groups of teachers, students, coaches, athletes, Browns Backers, or fellow parishioners. I’ve never had trouble talking.

Not all my stories/memories are happy ones, but all are part of my past, and the sad stories are just as helpful, maybe more, as the funny ones or ones that had “happily ever after” endings. Obviously, telling the happy stories is ideal, but many times, sharing the sad stories are most valuable.

Many say that too many people, and many have said I too, live in the past, because we constantly look back. Well, everyone’s personal stories and events/happenings come from our pasts. I don’t feel I live in the past, but rather, I cherish my past, even though some of it includes memories that are not only good, but also bad, and even ugly too.

Most everyone who knows me, knows I’m a fan of Jimmy Buffett. I’ve attended 15 Jimmy Buffett concerts, which is 15 drops in a bucket compared to how many times other people we’ve met have seen the Coral Reefer Band. We’ve met people who’ve seen Buffett over 30, 40, 50 times and have even met a man who reached the century mark of Buffett concerts. People have asked how we can see the same artist that many times and hear most of the same songs that many times. Speaking for myself, I love doing it because I get to share these events with my “Buffett Family,’ though I’ve yet to meet some of them. Jimmy Buffett is a singing storyteller. All whom I’ve met, and it’s the same at each concert, share the same feelings of Jimmy Buffett’ storytelling, because many of his songs have lyrics we’ve all heard, felt, and have, at times, leaned on in some way, to help us in our lives. So, I guess the answer to the question of virtually seeing the same concert repeatedly, is that we, too, want to be storytellers, not just to entertain, but so we can use them, both to help, and be helped.

Don’t be afraid to tell your stories. The world will be better because you tell them.