Our Story as told by our founder

It seems right to start with a story! 

For everyone who, like me, believes that everything happens for a reason, this confirms it.

I believe we are all connected, no matter religion or race and that we should all give as much joy and provide as many acts kindness as we can.

About a year ago, I was sitting through a painfully dull lecture with about 200 or so equally bored souls, when the speaker, as if with a sense of his audience, announced that at the end of his talk, would relate one of the best stories he’s ever heard. I noticed the crowd perk up in anticipation.

People stirred from their slumber.

After droning on for another exhausting hour, the speaker finally began to tell his story. People stirred from their slumber, perched a bit higher from their seats, and listened with purpose. His story was rather good; detailed, colorful and with a thought-provoking ending.

As I wandered the atrium, post-lecture, I overheard many participants lauding the speaker; most commenting on the 5 minute finale as opposed to the 45 minute humdrum subject matter. And it stuck with me!

Fast-forward

Fast-forward six months to a crowded hospital room in Westchester County, where I was dealing (unsuccessfully and with much drama) with a family member’s illness. As is the norm with most nuclear families in a time of stress; three relatives, four opinions and a lot of loud, unsolicited soliloquies.

I noticed an open door

I decided to take a walk to clear my head.  I bought a bunch of chocolate bars at the cafeteria and walked aimlessly through the patient wings. I noticed an open door.  Awkwardly trying not to look in, I saw a hospital-gowned, sixtyish or so man, tubed up to an intravenous feed, sitting on a chair, staring blankly into space.  In antithesis to my normal behavior, I impulsively walked into the room and announced, “Hi, just passing by! Do you have five minutes? I’d like to tell you the greatest story I ever heard!” He looked up at me as if on cue, “Sure, I got nothing but time.”

I proceeded to tell him the version of the story from that lecturer as best as I could remember.

I proceeded to tell him the version of the story from that lecturer as best as I could remember. Afterward I told him my name.  He responded, “Mine’s Jerry and this was the best five minutes of my day...actually of the last two weeks I’ve been in this place.” And I left. And it stuck with me!

A few weeks later I was telling a friend about this out-of-my-box experience and she commented, “Wow, if only you could bottle that moment and do it a thousand times over.” And it stuck with me!

Welcome to Face2Face stories

Welcome to Face2Face stories-where we tell meaningful stories to people who just might need a better day.  Our mantra is that everyone loves a story and if we could just create these small moments in time of positive interaction - we can make our world just a little bit kinder.

Oh, by the way, if your curious to hear this maiden-voyage story, that traveled from a monotonous lecturer to a veteran misanthrope to an ailing hospital patient and to many others - please join us as a volunteer and come to a nearby Face2Face stories conference.

I look forward to telling it to you!

-P-