On Telling Stories | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

On Telling Stories

Tell it to exist in the moment, but tell it for the ages to remember.

42
On Telling Stories
Angela Luo

I sit with my legs draped over my backpack—still packed from my Thanksgiving travels—and my laptop across my lap. My friends occupy the large teal beanbags on the floor; one, with his head buried under wisps of dark hair, seems to almost melt into his black sweatshirt. The other strums peacefully on a guitar, halting at intervals to scroll through chords displayed on her phone. She sings at first in Mandarin, then in Cantonese—which no one in the room can understand, but can pronounce with phonetic spellings. There is a haunting beauty to singing in a language you cannot understand; it’s a sort of spell, a secret message. The musicality becomes universal, because the words are no longer tied to their original meanings. Instead, the meaning becomes your own.

We tell stories. His face lights up with excitement; hers breaks into a smile, and recognition flickers behind her eyes. We forget that it’s been an hour; two hours; five hours. We play loud music softly, projecting the notes into the mostly-empty dorm.

We take quizzes. The bland, nonsensical, waste-your-time Buzzfeed kind. Wolf of Wall Street or Batman? Grandmother Willow (from Pocahantas) or Grandmother Fa (from Mulan)? Sunrise or sunset?

I discover the value of truths that exist only in the moment. Right now, I am partial to the sunset—better yet, partial to the cloudy darkness, to the sound of rain on the windows, to the rain that was not supposed to exist here in drought-striken California. I am partial to the now of artificial dorm lighting and beanbag chairs, of sipping tea in mugs that I got for free at a job fair. Perhaps tomorrow, I will realize that I in fact love the sunrise (though it’s rather unlikely, since I rarely wake up early enough for it); perhaps tomorrow, I will remember that, though I said I was seven when the story happened, I was really nine; or that it happened in Disneyland, not Disney World; or that it was not my mother who said those words, but my cousin. But they were true in the moment, and thus they were true for me.

There is truth to the feeling; truth to the emotion; truth to the details as small as the tea leaves on the floor. I don’t have to remember how many tea leaves existed. I could say that there were exactly five, or say that there were tens of them, scattered around the beanbags, my chair, and the books I was reading for my research paper. Each expresses a different feeling, one that shifts and changes with time and memory, but remains true nonetheless. True for me.

And though it might be strange to reconcile this notion of truth with a person who studies science, who works with math, who loves the logical definitiveness that yes, 3 pi is the answer and there could be no other, it’s not as difficult as it seems. One truth exists on paper; the other exists in the moment.

And unless you want your story to be flat, to be dead on arrival, to be discarded like that math exam you don’t want to remember, tell it with the ephemeral truth. Tell it to exist in the moment, but tell it for the ages to remember.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

6694
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less
Jenna Pizzi and her mom smiling by a waterfront with a historic ship in the background.
Jenna Pizzi

There is always a time in the semester when you have about three papers, four tests, five assignments and two projects due within the same time period. Isn't that just the best?

It's almost as if the professors all plot against you just to make college even more stressful than it already is. No matter how many people try to make you feel better, no one ever compares to your mom. Moms always know exactly what to say.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments