Stories...

The gif is of someone eating popcorn, or of Kermit drinking tea. That's the online reaction.

A friend posted their change in relationship status a week ago. Then their spouse (also a friend) posted screenshots and their side of what happened. In between those things I made a joke post that was triggered by the first post, but not completely directed at it, that when someone changes their status like that you should be able to click for more information so you can get the full story. The OP came back and offered up their side of the story if anyone was interested.

My hand shot up so fast I left comic book dust devils.

OF COURSE I want your side. I want their side. Your side. The neighbor's side. I want all of the sides. But write them down so I can read them at my leisure please. 

And I know it all sounds very flippant, and it is in a way, but I love people's stories. Which is good because strangers tell me their life stories all the time. If I didn't like them I would have a miserable existence. 

But I love getting all of the stories. I love getting all of the nuance. I love hearing (or reading) about the feelings involved. 

Now, they did not in fact, dash off a note telling me their side of the story because what was supposed to happen, what I was supposed to say was, Oh it doesn't matter. It's your business. I still love you no matter what. 

I broke the social contract of expected responses. 

But don't offer me a story and then don't tell it, that's just rude. Sheesh...

I have a few friends who write. I talk about Dana's writing all of the time and how much I love it. She tells stories I want to read. I want her to win the lottery so she can just stay home and write all the time. I don't think she's ever sent me a story or a story idea that I haven't thoroughly enjoyed. 

I also have friends who have had to write for school and they will send me things they've written to see what I think. Usually with a caveat of how much they hate writing and how terrible they are. And it always amazes me how good a lot of them are. Like I would read this for fun levels of good. They don't want to do it anymore, but I always assure them that if they did, they were good. 

And then...well I have friends who write things that are just not for me. I mean I'm sure there is talent there. It's just not the stories I want to read. And those are the worst moments. I had to tell a friend a few years ago that they really wanted a different Beta reader than me because I didn't like those types of stories and so would be a bad judge of it was any good.

I mean I'm sure it's not terrible, but to me it's fairly terrible because I don't like the genre.

Or sometimes the style. 

I have friends who write very important things. I know they are very important things because they are written in such a way to emphasize that they are very important. And maybe they are. Maybe the ideals and ideas are very important and I'm just too basic to appreciate them. For sure that could be it. But I generally just say that isn't for me. That style of writing isn't my cup of tea. 

Or bucket of popcorn. 

I mean come on...you can't tell me you are going to tell me the deets and then not send them. Clearly that is the real tragedy in a decades long married collapsing...

Yeah, I can hear myself. 

I'm not happy about being that shallow.

But they promised me a story. 

(and I'm really mostly kidding, of course I'd like to hear all of the story, but I am also really sad for my friends and the journey they are just starting that I know will be ugly and hurtful and difficult)