Story Prompt Friday: How Might We Be Changed by Our Life Journey Stories?

        Hello to you listening from wherever your feet touch the ground!    They say that when Marco Polo returned from his decades of travels through Asia along the Silk Roads, he had gems sewn in his cloak to prove the fantastical nature of his stories.    Pilgrims who walked the Camino de Santiago brought back scallop shells they picked up on the beaches of Finisterre, Spain to prove that they had walked to the end of the earth. On the Camino the symbol of the scallop shell is used as a way marker. Like many Camino pilgrims I affixed a large scallop shell to my backpack as a reminder to keep me going until I reached Finisterre.         What did we bring home from our journeys? Where might we find the fantastical, the unexpected gift in our stories? What was the agent of change? How were we transformed?    And does any of it matter to someone else? I say, “Yes, it does and in ways we cannot calculate.”        “It’s strange to think that there might be things we know that people who live one hundred years from now would like to know. We forget to say them.” [William Stafford]    Whether we sew gems in our cloaks or tie scallop shells to our backpacks as proof of our walk, we also have the stories, the hidden treasures, the currency of hard travel and quiet transformation. Does transformation arrive for us as we walk? Some might experience that on the Way. Others experience their inner map evolving in the days and weeks and even years later.            Regardless of when change occurs, this much I know is true: The stories we bring back from our literal and figurative journeys are the gift of grace that we earned as we journeyed through our fears, doubts, and failures to finally arrive Here from There.      Story Prompt: What insight, glimpse of wisdom, shiver of compassion, or wee bit of knowledge have you earned as you walk the story of your life? Write that story and share it out loud.YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment on APPLE Podcasts —it helps us all—& join us next time! STOP BY my newly re-imagined Quarter Moon Story Arts website     ARRANGE ----> a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Diane Wyzga / Quarter Moon Story Arts on SUBSTACK    Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicENJOY MY WORK? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. 

    Hello to you listening from wherever your feet touch the ground.    I am thrilled to announce that Quarter Moon Story Arts is live to the world with a new website designed by women for women to know themselves and each other through their stories. But not just any story. This is the space for women who are curious about how to discover and navigate their midlife pilgrimage stories so that they don’t go unrecorded.      One who knew the radical power of discovering and revealing your personal narrative was Gloria Steinem. She left behind her final unedited public thoughts about the vital role of women sharing their stories, as follows:    “Hello, all you unique individuals out there. I’m so glad to be meeting you through the magic of the media. I wish I could meet each one of you in person, but in a way, this is what allows us now to see each other’s lives, to influence each other’s lives, to respect each other — and to, therefore, perpetuate what we hope is a global democracy.    “Please feel free to respond in any way you can, and please tell your own story. This is the most important thing we can do for each other—to know each other through stories. And I hope so much that whoever you are, listening right now, you are able to do what you love—[and] to be, also, the unique person you are.”    Midlife as sacred. How might you get to that place of what awaits you as the unique woman you are? By exploring your midlife transition as if you are on pilgrimage. Midlife is a sacred space of transition. A pilgrimage mirrors the sacred realm between leaving behind your normal and familiar life while you journey toward a destination where old rules fade and new truths can form.    Letting go. When you step out on pilgrimage, literally or figuratively, you leave home, walk away from your safe, known world and leave your daily routines behind. You have no fixed identity anymore. Your regular job, status, and titles do not matter on the path. While you walk the open road you exist in a temporary space where you only focus on the next step forward.    Transformation. What happens on pilgrimage? You face the unknown. Every day brings new faces, unexpected weather, and physical fatigue. You shed old weight. The long walk strips away your worries and busy thoughts. You hum with anticipated change. Just like being in a doorway, you are taking the next step to become someone new by the end. It’s called transformation    What you can expect with Quarter Moon Story Arts.    Coming home. A chance to write a new story in a voice and words that are fully and finally your very own.  Home Page     Support. 30+ years of experienced storytelling guidance as you navigate your midlife pilgrimage story to who you want to become. About     Storytelling Doula. Not a coach but a collaborator and  witness to your journey who knows what it feels like when the road ahead opens up and how to get there. Meet Diane       Skills and Solutions. Community and individual opportunities to discover Who Am I? and Who Will I Become? What I Offer       Start here ---> 30-minute Discovery Call. I’m inviting you to discover the treasure trove that is your story as you navigate your midlife pilgrimage.  Contact Diane        And thank you for listening!  YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment on APPLE Podcasts —it helps us all—& join us next time! STOP BY my newly re-imagined Quarter Moon Story Arts website     ARRANGE ----> a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Diane Wyzga / Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack    Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. 

Hello to you listening from wherever your feet touch the ground!    Walking through John Wayne Airport I saw a man wearing a tee shirt with these words: “Many things in life will catch your eye but only a few will catch your heart. Follow those.”    He was gone before I could ask him: What’s the story behind your tee shirt?  How did you come to have it? What things in life have caught your eye? What caught your heart? And when you followed those what happened next?    Today more than ever women need the stories that catch their heart. The storytelling tradition is alive in you. Each time you share a story, you've grown. You understand what’s changed. You see yourself differently.    As a woman navigating a professional world that doesn't always invite your full story, you may have learned to edit yourself—to show up with credentials and minimize the rest. But your personal narrative is your most powerful asset. It connects, persuades, inspires, leads, and heals.    You don't have to wait for permission to tell your story.    This is your invitation to discover the stories shaping your life, and to unlock the full power and energy of your voice. Because when women tell their stories, they don't just change the room. They change what's possible.    Story Prompt: Your voice is ready. What will you say? Write that story and share it out loud!      Meanwhile, I’m building a community of storytelling by women for women focusing on navigating our midlife pilgrimage story. I’m hosting in-person courses on Whidbey Island while developing on-line courses and a special gathering through my Substack account. To learn more please subscribe on Substack or let’s have a Discovery Call. Click the LINK to make an appointment.    And, as always, thank you for listening!YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe on Apple podcasts & share this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time!STOP BY my newly re-imagined Quarter Moon Story Arts website     ARRANGE a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack    Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

    Hello to you listening from wherever your feet touch the ground.    When I introduced my friend, Eliza Young (the genius behind my Quarter Moon Story Arts logo and new website) and the author of Life in Captivity to my colleague Dave Roberts of The Teaching Journeys podcast, it was simpatico!    From the September 1st 2026 Episode Notes: “What happens when a child survives vitamin A toxicity, 20 plus surgeries, parental kidnapping, and a front-row seat to 9/11—and still builds a captivating life?    In this powerful episode of The Teaching Journeys Podcast, host Dave Roberts sits down with author and resilience advocate Eliza Young to unpack one of the most extraordinary life journeys you'll ever hear.    Eliza shares how she became the first diagnosed case of vitamin A toxicity—a medical mystery that left her physically handicapped and led to over 20 surgeries before her 18th  birthday. She opens up about surviving her parents' brutal custody battle, including multiple parental kidnappings, and being just one mile from the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.    Now, nearly 60 years old, Eliza is writing her next chapter—literally and figuratively.    But this isn't just a story of survival. It's a story of transformation.    Whether you're a trauma survivor, a caregiver, a parent, or simply someone searching for proof that it's never too late to create the life you've always wanted, Eliza's story will move and inspire you.”Click this LINK to access the episode on YouTube Click this LINK to access the episode on Apple podcasts   Click this LINK to access the episode on SpotifyClick this LINK to get a copy of Eliza's book now ready for pre-order!   Connect with Eliza Young:Website: https://substack.com/@captivatingelizaYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCodDmXVVWdOCGrePbSevQDw  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/creativeliza  Book: www.alifeincaptivity.comConnect with Dave RobertsWebsite: [email protected]: 315-269-4522The Teaching Journeys Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/theteachingjourneys/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdM4kKxk2_nHZAAuGtEYvdtCPsmaoVvu_ YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe on Apple podcasts & share this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time!STOP BY my newly re-imagined Quarter Moon Story Arts website     ARRANGE a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack    Stories From Women Who Walk Production TeamPodcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story ArtsMusic: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron MusicALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. What Women Still Fight For. We women have to fight for so much: being seen, heard, understood, listened to, recognized, and acknowledged. Despite progress, we are still taking a stand to transform women’s rights, to overcome barriers to the freedom of voice, opinions, and expression. Little Human to Big Human. Maybe like me you wonder if there was a thru-line of advocacy between who you were as a Little Human Girl and who you are today as a Big Human Woman. What if the courage to speak up, to speak out, to say what you mean and mean what you say was always there? What It Takes. Maybe it’s a matter of time, confronting your story, upending your upbringing, and challenging yourself to be a testament to truth. Or a situation that demands a response. Women whose pioneering work laid a foundation for future feminist thought, greater autonomy and independence shared a commitment: I may be one among many but I can draw many to me like fillings to a magnet and together we will do the work that’s calling to be done. Click HERE for 36 examples of women who took a stand  Devil Within. I was a strong-willed handful as a child.  Today we might say I was spirited; but back then I was told “A dimple in the chin means a devil within.” I still have a dimple in my chin. That never left me. What I had to unlearn was a voice that society, religion, patriarchy, and education quieted down. Who am I? The courage to be one’s self begins with digging down into the soil of that self. Who am I? What treasure trove of skills, experiences, wisdom, and more can I uncover? And when I uncover the story of myself how do I bestow permission on me to be that self? For a long overdue lesson in courage I turned to Virginia Woolf who knows well the “supreme difficulty of being oneself.”   "Let us simmer over our incalculable cauldron, our enthralling confusion, our hotch-potch of impulses, our perpetual miracle — for the soul throws up wonders every second. Movement and change are the essence of our being; rigidity is death; conformity is death: let us say what comes into our heads, repeat ourselves, contradict ourselves, fling out the wildest nonsense, and follow the most fantastic fancies without caring what the world does or thinks or says. For nothing matters except life.” ~ Virginia Woolf  Story Prompt: Turn back the pages of time, find that chapter when you were bright and shining, alive and curious, energetic, perceptive, or outspoken. Who is the Little Human Girl that used to be you? Where is she now? Write that story and share it out loud! Thank you for listening. I’m glad to have you here.   You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, Subscribe & Spread this episode with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [[email protected]] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack while I renovate that site, too. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. 

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. El Toro Sailing. My US Navy pediatric nurse off-duty days were spent sailing a tiny boat in the shipping channel off the Port of Norfolk. Believe it or not I sailed an 8x4 foot single-masted, centerboard El Toro that flew across the water. An old skipper powered a battered motor boat across the waves, curling around my boat with a great rooster tail spraying, and hurled a white styrofoam block wrapped with an old rope. It landed right in my lap. The block had been hollowed out to fit 2 cold cans of beer. That was a good day! Bad days. But when the days weren’t so good, when I had more downs than ups, kids got worse, some died, moms needed comforting and support when dads were away at sea, self-doubts about working pediatrics crowded my thoughts, or a well-deserved leave was cancelled, I had to learn to “hold fast.” Hold Fast at Sea. For centuries sailing was a dangerous profession, and ships were often caught in storms or rough seas. “Hold fast!” commanded sailors to secure equipment, and ropes or lines to prevent accidents or maintain safety and stability on ships especially during turbulent weather conditions. Sailors would shout “hold fast!” to each other when they needed to grab onto something firmly so that they wouldn’t get thrown off balance by the towering waves. Sailors learned quickly that “hold fast” means to maintain a firm grip on something despite external forces trying to pull it away. It could come down to saving a life or “man overboard” at a time when few boys and men knew how to swim. Hold Fast Today. Over time, “hold fast” came to mean strength, perseverance and determination in facing adversity when challenges threatened to unmoor your own stability. While the old nautical term and the present day variation have distinct meanings, they share a common thread: steadfastness. Whether you’re holding onto a rope during rough seas or standing up for what you believe in, “hold fast” requires unwavering commitment and resilience. The Future Will Prevail. The unprecedented conditions we find ourselves in today demand a grounded personal presence of internal strength and determination, maintaining one’s grip on values, kindness, empathy, and holding on to hope. The worn out, deteriorated, broken-down, and decaying patriarchy is railing against the future. The future will prevail. We must hold fast so that it arrives. Hold fast with all the resilience you can muster even when you feel you cannot hold fast a moment longer. That is the place the tide will turn.   CTA: What if we hold fast and we get things right? Check out World Economic Forum’s Sustainable Development Vision for 2030 to give yourself a bit more hope: Thank you for listening. I’m glad you’re here.   You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, Subscribe & Spread this episode with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! AND!  Stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction, email me [[email protected]] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call, and stay current with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack while I renovate that site, too. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source. 

Hello to you listening wherever your feet touch the ground! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.   Bernard Moitessier sailed around the world single-handed to win the first Golden Globe Race but when the reward was within his grasp he turned away from it and kept sailing for another three months because to keep on the original route (Plymouth to Plymouth) was like “leaving from nowhere to go nowhere.” [The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier]  Winning this race had no connection with Moitessier’s true goal which was to “reach a point in space and consciousness that would enable him to bear witness to the beauty and complexity of the natural world. And to glimpse, however briefly, the sort of person he might become if he permitted himself to cross a kind of international dateline of the soul and merge with those things.” In the end he realized what many of us come to know in time: the journey itself was the destination. Story Prompt: What if the intention of an endeavor is to forge a connection inside yourself? What if the reward to the endeavor lays not in the result to which you were ostensibly striving but in the simple doing of the thing? Write that story and share it out loud! Attribution: Inspired by and adapted from The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon by Kevin Fedarko ---> You will be hooked by the stories about this once upon a time Colorado River!   Click HERE to access Simon and Schuster’s Publishers page to watch a mesmerizing short video and listen to Kevin Fedarko read the opening pages of his book, The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon.    YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! STOP BY my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction. EMAIL ME ----> [email protected] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Hello to you listening wherever your feet touch the ground! Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Earlier this month I announced the retirement of my 60 Seconds format after 5½ years and Motivate Your Monday episodes after 6½ years. However, my long-running global podcast, Stories From Women Who Walk, is alive and well and evolving for you, my truly global audience. I launched my podcast, Stories From Women Who Walk in April 2020 as a platform for conversations with women who were walking their lives until their lives were flipped upside down by something unexpected, how they met the challenges, and changed to become stronger, even more confident women. I loved every single moment listening stories out of my guests! But then COVID flipped our lives upside down, too. We were no longer commuting to work over long distances or in cars. Who would have the time to listen to a 30 or 45-minute conversation? What to do? Pivot to 60 Seconds. No one was offering this format. Turned out that I was really good at distilling topics, ideas and stories into soundbytes to inform, illuminate, delight, motivate, and comfort my listeners. Today Stories From Women Who Walk has logged over 1,340 episodes and maintains a robust platform wherever you get your podcasts, especially Apple Podcasts and including Pandora Radio. It’s been a great run so far! That’s what 6½ years of dedicated listening and support has produced. Thank you! I’m here because you’re there and I will continue. I promise you this: the voice you have come to know and trust along with the stories, insights, questions and prompts that speak to each of us as if to say, “What! You, too? I thought I was the only one.” [C.S.Lewis]. I plan to channel my creative efforts into producing two weekly  “Diane on Mic” short-form episodes—maybe 4 minutes or so of spoken word—for Wednesdays on Whidbey and Story Prompt Friday, with familiar themes, a deeper and more intimate relationship with you, and a focus on helping women navigate their midlife pilgrimage. Why pilgrimage? As those of you who have followed me know, I have talked about this so often: my life shows up as BC and AC—Before Camino and After Camino. Over the years I’ve learned that the 500 miles of walking across Spain was the destination. I know what it takes to walk the long and winding road to letting our lives speak. As Quarter Moon Story Arts I bring decades of experience as a skillful storyteller in healthcare, business and law. It's time to sharpen my creative focus and work with women of Middle-Earth-Age who are navigating their midlife pilgrimage story.        CTA: Let’s continue making the very most of the time we have together, uncovering, discovering, shaping and sharing our stories. Please let me know what you think. If there is something you’re curious about, something you’d like to hear as my podcast transforms, please email me and let me know: [email protected] or (better yet) subscribe to Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Comments Create Community. We are in this together for the long haul. And thank you for continuing to listen from wherever your feet touch the ground! YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! STOP BY my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction. EMAIL ME ----> [email protected] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga. The older I become as a Sterling Silver the more aware I am that the job of a lifetime is to collect memories and revere them for what they represent. What do I mean and why might that be?   As any storyteller knows, memories help us reflect on our past, shape our identity, and inspire us to create new experiences. Memories serve as reminders of meaningful experiences and connections, the rich soil from which our personal narratives arise. Memories are not just the purview of our grandparents and aunties. At any stage of our lives memories beckon us to look back on our past, helping us understand our journey and personal growth from then til now. In this way our memories play a crucial role in shaping who we are, as our experiences define our values and beliefs. Once we have a better grasp on who we are, what we’ve done, accomplished, weathered and overcome we are better positioned to seek out new adventures and create additional meaningful memory moments. Following are a few of the many benefits of collecting memories: • Fostering deeper connections with others, promoting a sense of identity, and providing joy through positive reminiscence • Engaging with cherished memories can reduce stress and improve overall mental well-being as we relive positive experiences and feelings that buffer against stress and anxiety. • Preserving personal memories through documentation can improve self-esteem by recalling personal achievements and strengthen social connections through shared memories with others • Engaging with cherished memories can provide a sense of purpose, contributing to a positive outlook on life • Capturing memory moments through photography and videography creates a visual record of experiences that can be revisited and shared • Writing down experiences and thoughts can help solidify memories and provide a narrative to reflect upon later • Sharing stories and memory moments with loved ones can help keep them alive and create new connections Story Prompt: Whether you collect your memories in shoe boxes or treasure chests, written journals or photo albums, in digital formats or something else, cherish what you have collected so far. For those just starting out, you are embarking on a rich journey. When one of those memory moments surfaces as a story to be told, write that story and share it out loud!     Thank you for listening. I’m glad you’re here!  YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! STOP BY my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction.  EMAIL ME ---> [email protected] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on Substack Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga. Recently, my dear friend and fellow Camino pilgrim Dennis Pitocco posted an essay entitled Why Is Presence the Most Radical Act of Love? Click HERE to read that essay and HERE for more of his thought-provoking pieces on Exploring Our Shared Humanity, his Substack banner.    The gist of the essay is that our mindful attention to another is a radical gift—so rare as to be almost extinct. What does it cost us to be mindfully attentive to another? Nothing apart from putting aside our self-centeredness and shifting into whole-heartedness. This change in behavior cannot be legislated into practice, like requiring the wearing of seatbelts in a moving vehicle. It does require a shift in us, in a culture that has all too easily been swayed by the siren call of the swipe on a handy device.     Here’s a favorite paired exercise I’ve used for decades while teaching my story skills courses. Each partner is asked to spend one minute talking about something neutral, like their name following a prompt. The listener’s job is to listen—with appreciation. When asked, “How did it feel to be listened to uninterrupted, for 60 seconds?” the responses are universally the same: I felt seen, heard, understood, listened to, calm, present, significant, smiled upon, and valuable. All that from 60 seconds of presence. And the intention to Be. Here. Now. Imagine if we could make the time to offer another the gift of our whole-hearted presence. We might turn fear into love, conflict into solutions, isolation into relationship, and more as we can imagine it all taking shape in ourselves, our homes, our neighborhoods, our communities. My teacher, the Venerable Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh taught four mantras to help change us and change others: 1. Dear one, I am here for you. 2. Darling, I know you are there, and I am so happy 3. Dear one, I know you are suffering; that is why I am here for you 4. Dear one, I am suffering. Please help. Imagine if someone said these words to you with the intention to Be. Here. Now. Imagine if you could ask for help from another—and receive it to ease your suffering. As I write this podcast episode I’m reminded of the song, Imagine by John Lennon. Click HERE to listen to him in 1975 Click HERE to read the lyrics of the song, Imagine CTA: Having been fortified to give it a go to Be. Here. Now. do so. First for yourself and then another. And another. And another. Imagine what might happen next.     YOU'RE INVITED: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, subscribe & spread this episode  with a generous 5-star review & comment—it helps us all—& join us next time! STOP BY my Quarter Moon Story Arts website during reconstruction.  EMAIL ME ---> [email protected] to arrange a no-obligation Discovery Call STAY CURRENT with me as Quarter Moon Story Arts on SUBSTACK. Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts Music: Entering Erdenheim by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music ALL content and image © 2019 to Present Quarter Moon Story Arts. All rights reserved. Enjoy my work? Share & attribute it to Diane Wyzga of Stories From Women Who Walk podcast with a link back to the original source.