The Art of Storytelling

After a concert with a youth orchestra, of which I am a part, my parents took me and the girlfriend to diner.  Many stories were exchanged as my parents got to know the girlfriend better.  Now when I'm with my friends I tend to be one of the better story tells of the group, I can silence the entire lunch table every once in a while when I talk, but with my parents my stories always go flat.  Today, however, I had one story about the practice before the concert that really made the table laugh.  I had already told it to the girlfriend on the way to the restaurant but my parents hadn't heard it.  As I was telling it I realized that I was telling it better than I did previously and while my parents were cracking up the girlfriend also laughed more than she had the first time.  Telling a good story well is a skill that I have yet to master, but when I do end up telling one, it feels great.  And so we go.