The Stories We Carry

We all carry stories.

Some are full of laughter and lavender skies, and others are written in smudged ink with chapters I’d rather not reread. But whether they’re grand epics or quiet footnotes, these stories—the ones we’ve lived and the ones I tell myself—shape the way I move through the world.

And sometimes, I need to edit them.

I’ve been thinking lately about how certain events in my life—loss, love, disappointment, joy—settle into my bones like characters in a novel. They became part of the plot I leaned on to make sense of things. A breakup becomes a story of unworthiness. A career pivot becomes a failure instead of an adventure. That one decision ten years ago became the thing I blame for every closed door since.

I replay these narratives over and over, sometimes without realizing it. Sometimes, when I’m trying to sleep, a narrative runs on a constant loop, keeping me awake and anxious. But what if the version I’m holding on to isn’t the truth? Or, at least, not the only truth?

As a writer, I’m constantly rewriting. I adjust the dialogue, shift the setting, and add layers to a character until their motives become clear. And recently, I realized that life works in a similar way. We are the authors of our own stories—even the ones that hurt. Especially the ones that hurt.

Maybe that friendship didn’t end because I’m too much—but because I was finally becoming my whole self, and it made someone else uncomfortable. Perhaps the missed promotion wasn’t about my lack of talent but a redirection toward something more fulfilling. Maybe I wasn’t being dramatic, or difficult, or “too sensitive.” Maybe I was just being honest.

Sometimes, I have to go back and pick up the pen. Not to erase what’s happened but to reframe it in a way that serves me. To ask: What’s the lesson here? What did I survive? Who did I become because of this?

When I sit down to write a new novel, I often draw on my own experiences—sometimes directly, sometimes as subtle hints woven into the background. A character might carry my heartbreak. Another might carry my hope. But what they all have in common is this: they grow. They mess up. They heal. They rewrite the stories that don’t suit them.

And so can you.

So today, if there’s a story you’ve been telling yourself that no longer fits—rewrite it. Give it a new ending. Or maybe just a new beginning. You don’t owe anyone the same version of yourself you were yesterday. You don’t even owe that to yourself.

This life isn’t a closed book. It’s a living, breathing draft.

You get to revise.

Have you ever had to rewrite a personal story to move forward? Share in the comments—I’d love to know what chapter you’re on. And if you’re not sure where to begin, try this:
What story am I carrying, and how would it feel to tell it differently?

Until next time,
Jacki

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

February 19, 2024

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

 

Mahatma Gandhi

 

 

November 28, 2023

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.

Epictetus

September 18, 2023

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

 

Mahatma Gandhi

January 9, 2023

This year is all about Happiness — finding mine and helping you find yours. It’s inside. We only have to search ourselves.

 

Jacki Kelly

September 5, 2022

Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.

 

Dalai Lama

December 16, 2021

Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

 

Mahatma Gandhi

 

February 10, 2021

If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.

 

Gail Sheehy

 

 

 

Decemer 7, 2020

You are the sum total of everything you’ve ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot – it’s all there. Everything influences each of us, and because of that I try to make sure that my experiences are positive.

Maya Angelou

IF I HAD KNOWN

If I had known the year 2020 was going to keep me stuck inside, away from the people I love and going to the store to see empty shelves and being absent from all the things in my life, I would have lived 2019 with a passion that would have set my soul on fire.

In January, I would have left the Christmas tree up a little longer to celebrate the holiday that may be forever different.

In February, I would have reached out to everyone I loved and let them know they had a place in my heart, not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day.

In March. I would have welcomed Spring by throwing open the doors and inviting my friends and family in to celebrate with a gathering full of fun.

In April, I would have smiled more at the beautiful flowers that brighten the world. I would have picked more blooms, bought more buds, and filled my house with the colors that illuminate the world.

 

In May, I would have accepted every invitation to every family event, taken more pictures, and reminisced about old times because I miss them so much now.

In June, I would have welcomed summer by hugging those people close to me a little longer and playing with my dog like we had no tomorrows.

In July, I would have celebrated the sunshine, the rain, the warm summer breezes, and the ability to stick my foot in the ocean without wearing a mask and standing six feet away from everyone.

 

In August, I would have enjoyed going shopping at stores with fully stocked shelves and no limits on what I could purchase.

In September, I would have stood outside and waved at the school buses as the students returned to school.

In October, I would have bought more candy and handed it out to the trick or treaters like candy was the medicine that made the world happy.

 

In November, I would have prepared for Thanksgiving with more thankfulness in my heart for every blessing and gift that made my life full and joy filled.

In December, I would have held my family a little tighter and a little longer, and I would have told them and showed them how much I love them.

 

I don’t know what 2021 holds, but after 2020, I will forever look at life differently and know that every day is special and worth a celebration. How has 2020 changed you?