Recently I started listening to THEMOTH.ORG. It is storytelling started in New York City and now they travel around the country doing MOTH competitions. It is excellent. I feel that stories connect me to my soul and being human. Recently I heard a story there by a woman who when she was a child loved to play cards with her father. He was a very competitive amateur tennis player who hated to lose. He wouldn’t ease up on his daughter and allow her to win. When they played she would lose regularly, start to cry and leave the room only to return a few minutes later begging to play again. This whole process toughened her up. Her mom didn’t work outside the home but was Harvard bright and intelligent. She drank and struggled with her demons. The girl moved to Montana and got married and was trying to decide on her a career path. Her brother suggested that she should go to a casino and play cards to help her relax. There as an adult she realized that she was beating all the competition by combining the gifts that she got from both of her parents. She used the competitive spirit of her father with the intelligence of her mom. She is now a very successful professional poker player and her name is Annie Duke http://www.annieduke.com/bio/
The story made me think about my own parents and the gifts that I have gotten from them. My Mom is left handed, creative, intuitive, optimistic, persistent, and compassionate. She is very much an introvert and is comfortable being by herself. My father on the other hand was an outgoing extrovert salesman. He sold International Harvester Farm Equipment and was one of the best salesmen in the country with his company. He was much more a logical realist who at times battled pessimism but had a great sense of humor. I find that I have the qualities of both my parents and I am happiest in life when I embrace them both. I like creating ideas and presenting them. It gives me a sense of peace when I do. I would challenge you to think about your parents and the gifts that you got from them. It might be a life changing experience like it was for Annie Duke…