The power of storytelling | Andrea Gibbs | TEDxPerth

Summary

The speaker humorously shares a personal story about her long-standing crush on a delivery man she would wave to daily through a shopfront window. After 18 months of their silent flirtation, she builds up the courage to make a grand, romantic gesture by displaying love notes on cards, inspired by Bob Dylan’s music video. However, her plan takes a comedic turn when she finds out the man has a girlfriend. Reflecting on the experience, she emphasizes the importance of vulnerability and the joy of creating meaningful stories, even if things don't go as planned.

Takeaways

• 😂 The speaker humorously theorizes that being single and having a boring job increases the chance of falling in love with someone seen regularly, like a delivery man.
• ✈️ Working at a travel agency didn't lead to adventure but mostly involved booking flights for young people, making the job mundane.
• 😍 The speaker develops a playful 'wave romance' with a delivery man who works next door, exchanging waves through the shop window for 18 months.
• 💌 The speaker's coworkers encourage her to make a move, and she devises a plan to express her feelings with handwritten cards on her last day of work.
• 😅 Despite her efforts to be creative and funny with her love notes, the plan doesn't go as hoped when she learns the delivery man has a girlfriend.
• 😬 Embarrassed and caught off guard, she struggles to recover from the situation, eventually receiving a kind but awkward sympathy hug from the delivery man.
• 😢 After the experience, the speaker reflects on how vulnerable and embarrassed she felt, questioning her decision to take such a bold action.
• 😊 Despite the outcome, she consoles herself by thinking that her romantic gesture might still have brought a little joy to the delivery man’s life.
• 📖 The speaker highlights the importance of taking risks in life, noting that the best stories come from moments when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable and human.
• 💭 She concludes that while we can't always control the stories in our lives, embracing risk and vulnerability creates meaningful and memorable experiences.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's story?

The main theme is the longing for connection and romance in a mundane work life, expressed through an unspoken attraction to a delivery man and the humorous but unsuccessful attempts to initiate a relationship.

How does the speaker’s job contribute to the humor in her story?

The speaker’s job at a travel agency, filled with repetitive tasks like data entry and booking flights for students, contrasts with her dreams of adventure and romance, creating humor through the monotony of her situation and her exaggerated hopes for excitement.

Why does the speaker develop an attraction to the delivery man?

The speaker, bored with her job and lacking excitement, becomes drawn to the delivery man because he represents a rare break in her routine, offering a small spark of potential romance in her otherwise uneventful days.

What motivates the speaker to quit her job?

She decides to quit her job not because of dissatisfaction alone, but as a way to create a 'deadline' for herself, forcing her to make a move and express her feelings to the delivery man.

How does the speaker prepare for her final interaction with the delivery man?

She creates a series of handwritten cards with humorous messages expressing her interest in him, intending to hold them up at the shopfront window as he walks by on her last day.

What happens during the speaker's final attempt to connect with the delivery man?

As she shows the cards to the delivery man, he stops her after reading one asking if he has a girlfriend, revealing that he does, which causes her great embarrassment.

How do the speaker’s colleagues react to her crush and final attempt?

The speaker’s colleagues are very supportive, excitedly encouraging her efforts to win over the delivery man. They even offer her advice and cheer her on, but become awkwardly silent once the attempt fails.

What is the significance of the speaker's reference to her grandmother’s funeral?

The speaker reflects on her grandmother’s stories being shared at the funeral, realizing that her own romantic gesture, though embarrassing, would become a memorable story that might bring joy and connection to others.

What does the speaker learn about storytelling and vulnerability from her experience?

The speaker learns that taking risks and showing vulnerability, even if things don’t go as planned, can create meaningful stories that help people feel more connected and less alone.

How does the story conclude, and what message does the speaker leave the audience with?

The story concludes with the speaker embracing her embarrassing attempt as a valuable experience. She suggests that by being open and taking chances, people create the best stories, even if they don’t always have happy endings.