And why is “your” spelled “yer?” (answer: I’m denoting my midwestern heritage)
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that people refer to their lives as stories. That’s how we translate things that happen. That’s why metaphors are so powerful–they simplify into an understandable idea that which is complex and abstract. So do stories. They give an arc, they create characters, they imply something predictable and something with a lesson. We like to feel as thought our experiences mean something bigger and more important than they might actually.
I heard once that the first thing we do in life is take in a breath and the last thing we do is exhale. Everything in between is just breathing. I like to think the same about stories–each of our lives is a collection – an anthology – of all the stories long and short, sad and joyous, complicated and blissfully simple.
Heart on Yer Sleeve is an attempt to collect these stories from others and capture my own through creative writing.
Abigail Keel 