Perception

I went fishing this morning with my dad.  We had a lot of fun, fishing and talking--I'm probably more talkative than his other fishing buddies. We caught some nice reds, flounder, and specs. Really good eating. (use of adverb necessary to emphasize how good fresh fish is)

We talked about different things, including family history things. Talking, telling stories.  It was fun and I learned things about my family.  It made me think about how telling stories is how we learn about who we are.  Writing them, hearing them, repeating them. We sort things out.  We see beyond ourselves. What we decide to share is as important as the story itself.  Why did we remember that particular detail in that way? What is significant about our version of the event as opposed to another family member's version? I've heard it called self identity, self perception, all different psychologcial terms, but really, if you think about it, our perception does more to define us than reality. The way we share our perception, and therefore oruselves, is through our stories.