| My storytelling father always seemed to be able to | | | | answer from the dancing man. |
| hold our collective breaths with his tales of ghosts and | | | | "Vertical Coffins. These 16 people come to work |
| the undead. You knew how effective his scary stories | | | | everyday at 8:30 and die in their booths and then at |
| were by the number of under the bed inspections that | | | | 4:30 they come back to life just in time to go home. |
| were held in our house. I'm sure my mother | | | | They look like Vertical Coffins." |
| appreciated it since my father worked at nights at the | | | | "What makes it different for you?" The doctor needed |
| New York Times. My father's imagination and | | | | to know why this one man was so happy. |
| storytelling were legend and so were our nightmares. | | | | "I have a corner office with glass on all sides. I can see |
| Just don't ask me to go down to your basement. | | | | the Golden Gate Bridge, Berkley Heights, and San |
| I was listening to "The Second Half of Life" in my car | | | | Francisco and while thousands of people travel |
| last week. The author, Angeles Arrien, PH.D, talked | | | | everyday to visit, I get to live it. I get to dance. I get to |
| about how Storytelling can trigger memories, | | | | do what I love." |
| associations and one's imagination | | | | So many of us don't get to live the lives we are |
| She went on to recount a true story by Dr. Charles | | | | entitled to. We go by someone else's rules and |
| Garfield who has written about high performance | | | | expectations and we forget that we even had |
| people. | | | | dreams that were so full of hope and adventure. We |
| It unfolded something like this: | | | | find ourselves getting by on "no imagination, no |
| Back in 1984, Dr. Garfield encountered a toll booth | | | | imagination" and we struggle in our own vertical coffins. |
| employee on the Oakland/San Francisco Bridge who | | | | How would it feel to dismantle one or two of those |
| was dancing to loud music that was blasting from his | | | | vertical coffins that keep you from what you really |
| toll booth. The doctor asked what was going on. The | | | | want to do? It could be as simple as saying "No" to |
| dancing man in the booth said that he was having a | | | | some of the requests that others pour on you (and |
| party. What about the other people working in the | | | | not feeling guilty!) so that you can have 30 minutes to |
| other booths? Oh, they were not invited to his party. | | | | read, take a walk or just sit and listen to your own |
| Loud horns blasted from impatient drivers (don't you | | | | hear beat. It can be as grand as reexamining where |
| just love them) and ended the conversation abruptly | | | | your life is going: does the job do it for me, would going |
| but the doctor made a note to find the dancing man | | | | back to school open me up again or would Jimmy |
| again. | | | | Choo's heels really make me feel better? The latter |
| And he did. | | | | was what Gwyneth Paltrow asked me....in a dream. I |
| The dance party was still going on. The Dancing man | | | | assured her that they would. |
| remembered the doctor and asked him what the other | | | | So it might have been a little stretch but how about try |
| 16 booths looked like to him. The doctor had no clue. | | | | taking a look at one of your vertical coffins and |
| "No imagination, no imagination" was the reply that | | | | scream "boo" at it and make it go back under your |
| came from the toll booth. "Look again, look again." | | | | brother's bed? |
| The doctor was stumped, gave up and asked for an | | | | |