Wendy quotes Emily Dickinson: “hope is that thing with feathers that sits there in our soul.” Our soul as a chook yard has a certain charm to it. Wendy likes it too. She has that small town local charm. She probably has chooks in her back yard at home. I can relate to her: her humanity, her goodness and her quaint old fashion-ness, even though we know she is not. She is the perfect person for the job tonight. The event is in good hands.
The first story from the website is from a Victorian woman who participated in dinners, storytelling and belly dancing in Kinglake, Flowerdale and other towns which were all devastated by the bushfires last year. She recounts ubiquitous tales of loss as well as those of generosity and hope. She especially mentions Odette in Flowerdale, a mum with a tattoo on her forearm, a permanent reminder of those horrific events. Odette needed a memory of those brutal fires etched into her skin. She wanted to be reminded forever of deceased friends and her lucky escape from the flames. Apparently 85 people from the area have the same image - a black tree - tattooed somewhere on their bodies. It is a measure of solidarity and love which sustains them as they continue rebuilding. The tattooist in Melbourne offers bargain basement rates to survivors for that image. She is with them in spirit. Go girl!
Betty follows next. She is 85 years old and has self published two books, the first one when she was 79 years of age. She questions whether hope is only for the young. Is old age an inferno of despair? She says not. She hopes for her family’s success, measured in terms of happiness and love, not in possessions and she hopes for a country to be careful and measured in its future endeavours. I like Betty. She is a feisty intelligent woman who is inspirational and funny. I hope I’m busy and contributing just like her when I’m old. There must always be a place at public events such as this for the wise, never redundant voice of our elders.
Betty gets a well deserved hooting ovation from an audience which obviously feels as I do. Go girl!
Invited speakers from all walks of life strut their stuff. These speakers are interspersed with music sweetly hopeful and uplifting. Wendy signs off, thanking them all and predictably ends with a quote. How do I feel? Well, to be honest it’s difficult not to compare my stories with those on offer tonight. After all it was a competition and competing brings out the green eyed monster and entices bitter thoughts which may ordinarily stay under the doona.
My stories reflect small matters: lunch with a friend and New Year’s resolutions. Compared to the grand matters of others’ lives and hopes, mine seem banal. I haven’t lost a house in fire or flood, and I haven’t competed at the Olympics. I haven’t started a world renowned theatre company or lived long enough as a writer to publish two books. My dreams are small and parochial. But they are authentic and they have meaning to me. I hope they are appreciated out there on that website where they are camping with their friends. May they not feel lonely. May they puff out their chests and feel proud to be included. Go all stories of hope! You’ve got to love ‘em!
So onward ho I travel, on to the next project. Stay tuned for the hilarious parents- only story about escaping the teenagers for the weekend. It’s better if they don’t even know you’ve gone!
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