parlor stories

Parlor stories:
the polished, formal
successful...
we are nice people
eager to do anything
and capable of doing everything
stories.

The stories
we present when
making that first impression...
or when we
are need of
an image boost
or a new beginning.

Parlor stories:
do not include
those paragraphs and
chapters we don't
want others to know...
at least on first meeting.

Oh...parlor stories
include a bit of the truth
concerning failure...
but typically
the failure comes with
someone else to blame
or some circumstance to blame.
"It wasn't really our fault
kind of stories."

Parlor stories:
polish up all the right words
all the right episodes
serve a few appetizers
smile
laugh
and offer up a hearty
dose of hospitality.

Enjoy
the moment
but
be alert
and listen
because what you won't
learn in the parlor
is typically what is said in the kitchen.

In the kitchen
is where you find the
fuller version of the story
the who's who
and the what's what....
the story behind the story.

Carl Dudley
offers this bit of wisdom
this two fold way we tell stories:
Parlor stories
vs.
Kitchen stories.

Somewhere in the
middle of the
Parlor and the Kitchen
the whole story
lives.

It behooves us to
take the time
to poke around
and discover the
stories just
outside
the parlor.