“So, the other day I went fishing with the kids.”

“Oh yeah? Ever been deep-sea fishing?”

“Well, yeah. I went once.”

“Really? Ever rode a whale? ‘Cause I rode a whale.”

When I heard this announced from the pulpit a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but laugh. The speaker had been sharing about pride and those people who just have to be a little better than everyone else. Story-toppers, he called them. I want to be a story-topper. Not because of pride, but for the sake of adventure. I want to be able to tell all these wonderful, adventurous, true stories about the places I’ve been and the things I’ve done. Even silly things. I want everyday life to be a glorious adventure. In Steven James’ book, Story, he has a little quote that says:

I told my friend, “Only children get excited over watching a butterfly.”

Then he turned to me and said, “So does God.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m the type of girl who gets excited over butterflies. In fact, I almost hit one driving down the interstate the other day and it gave me a mini-heart attack. I think butterflies are absolutely breath-taking – as in, I still get that childish gasp of wonder when one flutters across my path.

I tell stories. It’s what I do. I think I could be the queen of all story-toppers. Do you know why? Because I’ve chosen to allow the mundane to fascinate me. I allow butterflies floating on light breezes to become an adventure in which I am somehow intertwined. I allow them to transport me to a far-away land with princes, and castles, and magic. It reminds me that life is a fairytale. Right now, I am walking the pages somewhere in the middle – before the beautiful young maiden and Prince Charming ever meet. But there is still excitement. There is still romance. There is still that sense of adventure in the everyday because that is the way I choose to live.

I encourage you to make the choice to make everyday life exciting. Choose to create a story with your life that will top all the others. Choose to live in a way that others find encouraging and inspiring. Determine to live life to the fullest- with or without Prince Charming. Live every day with a smile on your face and a song in your heart, and you will be well on the way to becoming that storybook heroine you’ve envied for so long.

By the way, does anyone know where a girl could find a whale?…