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Dear Reader,
I'm on vacation and some of my friends have offered to fill in for me. Today's column is written by author Joel ben Izzy.
About three years ago I decided I wanted to become a better storyteller, so I went to one of the masters, my friend, Joel ben Izzy. And he was kind enough to literally "school" me over the phone, "Storytelling 101." Joel's book The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness has a permanent home on my bookshelf. It's a true story. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it and it just came out in audio, too.
Thanks for helping me out today, Joel.--Suzanne Beecher
Dear Reader,
Although I do not know you, we are connected, as you read this, by a string of words. As a teller of tales, I believe this is what stories can do--connect people by threads which, while gossamer-fine, reach past geographical frontiers, stretch beyond boundaries of time and even cross the barrier between life and death.
Searching for these connections is part of what we do here on earth. I was reminded of this years ago when I traveled through France, where I met an older man by the name of Leo, who lived in Dunkirk. He was kind enough to host me in his cabin on the rocky shore, and while a cold, foggy wind blew outside, we spent a pleasant evening before his fire, sharing food and trading stories.
As the evening drew to a close, I asked him how I was to wake in the morning, as I had an early train to catch.
"Ah!" he said, his eyes lighting up. "One more story..." he said. He told me of the night, just after World War II, that he had arrived in New York very late, with a flight back to Paris early the next morning. He had use of an apartment in New York but, as he explained to the cab driver, no way to wake up early.
"Which apartment?" asked the driver as they arrived at the building. Leo pointed to a window several floors up.
"And when do you have to wake up?"
"At five," said Leo. "or I'll miss my flight."
"Hmmmm," said the cab driver. "Here's what you do." He reached into the glove compartment, producing a roll of kite string. "Just before you go to bed, tie one end of this string around your big toe. Then, put the other end out of the window, reaching almost down to the street."
"But why?"
"Well, five o'clock is when I get off work, and I pass right by here. I'll pull on the string and you'll wake up."
"Well," said Leo, "I was surprised then as you are now. But that is exactly what happened."
And that is my hope for you, dear reader, as you read or listen to a snippet of prose today--that you find a connection you did not know you had.
(I hope you're enjoying your vacation, Suzanne.)
Joel ben Izzy
If you'd like to contact Joel, send your email to: suzanne@Emailbookclub.com and I'll see that he gets it. Joel's website is at: http://www.storypage.com/
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