Author: Sheri Denkensohn-Trott
When I had to retire from the government for health reasons, I was busy dealing with trying to get back to myself. It had been a long journey of health-related issues, and I was weak and not even sure what would happen next. Tony and I had talked about ramping up our work with the business we had created, Happy on Wheels, LLC, but we were still debating the areas to cover. I was reading, watching TV, catching up with family and friends, but anybody that retires or makes a transition knows that you also need to have hobbies.
I don’t consider myself someone that doesn’t have hobbies. Maybe others don’t define hobbies as being involved in breast cancer initiatives or advocacy with nonprofits, but for me, those are hobbies where I decide to devote my time. I enjoy the camaraderie, the people, and most importantly the cause. Because of my disability, it is hard to have hobbies like golfing or knitting, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t search to find what makes you happy in your free time.
In a random email, I read about storytelling. At the time I had never heard of it. But an organization called Story District, local to DC, advertised that once a month they have a theme and you can come and tell a story. I 
read the themes and some of them were very interesting to me. I could relate to them based on my disability and my own lived experience. I decided to try. The first theme was “Etiquette.” A story is timed, done without a script, so you must practice. I wrote what I thought was good and went with one friend. I was awful! But it was a good awful. I listened to the other storytellers, there are six at this venue. I learned what works and what didn’t. I talked too fast. I tried to fit too much text into a short timeframe. I didn’t leave the audience time to laugh and react. And speaking from a sheet of paper like a speech is not storytelling. You must change the pitch of your voice. You often talk like others. The length of your sentences must differ. So many other things that I learned. I vowed that I would do it again.
And I did, this time to a theme I also liked. It was called “Precipice.” I had the guts to invite many friends and I knew how to prepare based on my prior experience. Another story that related to my disability, but I knew how to inject humor, authenticity, and the right amount of text. I did well! My friends loved it.
Before I knew it, I was addicted. Another storytelling, this time I invited friends and family and to my great surprise I was the winner! I didn’t win a prize, but I was ecstatic. I was learning. One of my friends said to me, “This was fabulous. I had never even heard of storytelling. How did you find out about it?” I responded that it was happenstance and that sometimes you never know when something you love is going to come your way.
Now I was ready to challenge myself. Story District prides themselves on their big show of the year. It is called, “Sucker for Love.” I had to try out and there were 58 other individuals vying for 8 spots. The tryout involved 2 minutes of what would be your later story. That was a challenge. But I was chosen. A big win. Little did I know that we’d be practicing 
from October to February. It was intense but I loved every minute and I learned to hone this craft. I performed on stage in a theater packed with over 200 people. It was one of the best nights of my life. And then COVID came.
Storytelling drew to a halt. But it is now picking up again. Last summer I was invited in honor of the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act to do a storytelling at the Martin Luther King library. There was a good crowd, and I was back in the swing of it. It felt good.
Presently, I have been invited to participate in the Capital Fringe Festival. This storytelling event has 5 performances and is focused on body image. It hasn’t been easy, but I love doing it. Writing my thoughts. Going through the story in my own mind. Working with the curator who identifies gaps and provides constructive feedback. Practicing with a friend to make sure I have the timing down and that my authentic self comes through. There are so many pieces.
I can’t wait until the middle of July to showcase my story. Never underestimate what you may find when you are looking for a gap to fill in your life. Call it a hobby, a calling, or whatever; it’s an experience that will bring you joy. I love storytelling. And I never expected to. If it can happen to me, something similar may come your way when you least expect it. You need to be open to trying something new and willing to try.
not viewed as such when you are hearing the story for the 5th time) and that there was actually a world of professional storytellers.
and told my story. There was laughter, but I was talking too fast. I had too much packed into my story and didn’t give the audience time to react before I was on to the next etiquette misadventure. Besides learning what to do better the next time, I figured out the process. Each storyteller was scored by three groups and a cumulative score for each storyteller. The winner was then eligible for a GrandSLAM. I left that evening with my one friend who accompanied me discussing how to do better the next time. I didn’t know when that would be.
Many people have asked me how I found out about storytelling. My answer is that as I was starting a new chapter in my life, I began to explore other activities that would utilize my existing skill set in a different way. Storytelling was one of the activities that I discovered. I encourage friends to try storytelling or something else that they may come across that is new and completely out of their comfort zone.