to spin a yarn
while I've been here, I've noticed use of the word YARN a lot.
- like when you have a catch-up with someone, you are 'yarning'.
- to have a chat is to have a 'yarn'.
- and when a group of you gather to discuss things then that's a'yarning circle'.
as someone who loves to tell a story, I like the idea of referring to it as "spinning a yarn". and it made me wonder, how did storytelling get so linked to fabrics: spinning a yarn, weaving a story, putting texture to literary work, gathering threads of thought, a tightly knit plot, tying up loose ends or a richly woven tapestry?
the answer is: I don't know.
and I digress. I have realised up here how much I love telling stories; how the idea of oral history really gets me. I love the build, watching the looks on the crowds' faces, delivering the punch line, seeing them belly laugh and their eyes brighten from the giggles.
recounting experiences like an odd Turkish massage from an Iranian refugee while in Jordan, the time I asked a Libyan traveller what he thought of Gaddafi while sitting in a Paris hostel bar (I didn't notice his bodyguard till later) or how I won a stein in Munich for being the friendliest traveller. I can't help myself!
My sister and I have an agreement that no story is too embarrassing or upsetting, it's all for the memoirs. Gathering those stories is what life is all about. And sharing them is the best fun.