Moving Stories

Some stories are so compelling that my profiles almost write themselves. On my way back to the office after interviewing the nightclub dancer who taught John Wayne to rumba or the man who rose from dustbowl poverty to become North County’s “Rayneman,” my mind is awhirl and my fingers are itching to fly onto the keyboard.

My challenge: to capture and communicate a person’s unique essence within a brevity of space.

I might begin with a teaser. “He loses 160 pounds and finds a healthy new life” tells the story of David, who upon being laid off from a 20-year career as a heavy equipment operator became a 385-pound piece of heavy equipment from eating and drinking to excess.

At the urging of his sons, David confided, “I went from bar hopping to gym hopping. I stopped drinking and started working out. Whenever I wanted a drink, I’d come to the gym; sometimes two or three times a day.” He ultimately was hired as gym attendant, rose to a higher position and began training for a marathon!

David’s advice: “It’s never too late to make positive changes. It’s a matter of saying it, knowing you can do it and then doing it. You just have to keep moving.”

Everyone has a moving story. What’s yours?