Only keep the best stories.

Last night, my friend, Johanna, and I caught up over Taco Lucha's best. Jo is a GIS maven and was recently invited to join a trip to Guatemala with Engineers Without Borders. In the retelling of her adventure, she spoke of the hardiness of the women, how some things are culturally universal, and how she and the team – and the Guatemalan women – captured stories on film. 

They uncovered hopeful and heartbreaking stories.

And my best friends have been moving to a fun and historic home in town from "the ranch" out past the Konza prairie. They've done the hard work of whittling down their stuff and are still sorting out the keepers.

Ahhh…nothing like moving to help uncover what's important.

Somewhere along the past short years of moving, I've decided only to keep the stuff associated with the best stories or to "only keep the best stories."

Why pack, move, and clean sub-par stories?

In my latest move, I kept the family table (not the chairs), the red chaise from IKEA where I spent so many quiet days, the column that my friend Sliz gave me years ago, scads of books, artwork of the Konza, kids' treasures, Legos, a few clothes, and the blind one-eyed cat.

Gone are the beautiful things that had little or no meaning.

Gone are the things that weighed me down.

Gone.

Phew.

Less flotsam and jetsam to drag around and get in the way.

I want to stay light on my feet.

To move freely and have less to dust and insure.

I desire more time to love the people in my life.

More time to read books and sing songs and explore.

And so it is with the stuff that clogs my arteries and my crusty little heart.

Punt.

"Flotsam is floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo. Jetsam is part of a ship, its equipment, or its cargo that is purposefully cast overboard or jettisoned to lighten the load in time of distress and that sinks or is washed ashore."  (Thanks Wikipedia.)

Once again, I'm reminded that what I try to jettison from my life in my own strength only further drags me down into the depths. When I call for help, God seems to unburden my weary load and sets me sailing freely into the next chapter of this traveling life.

I want to keep only the best stories in my life – the greatest wealth: people and imagination.

I'm asking God to identify the stuff and stories that drag this vessel to the bottom of the sea.

Join me.

We have races to run, people to meet, and "explores" to begin.

Unburdened by the oldest and meanest of stories.

Free to sail.

* * *

Speaking of fun, the photo of the K-State Mask & Jeff Gill of Tallgrass Brewery speaks to two great stories… Jeff was an engineer who had a knack for brewing. He and his family decided to dive in and try their hand at this niche market. It worked! The K-State Mask is a retired soldier with a passion for sports – purple sports. ESPN took note.

Such fun stories.

What will your story be?

Enjoy John Lithgow singing, "At the Codfish Ball", http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5FGVAHNJrE. It's goofy, fun, and conjures up a good story worth a little boogie.