I’m belatedly reading one of the classics of the storytelling world (especially personal storytelling), Storycatcher by fellow Washington resident Christina Baldwin.

Early in the book, she tells this tale:

Attending a conference in California not long ago, I found myself standing in a line waiting to buy fancy coffee. One by one people reached the counter and placed their orders: “skinny latte double-shot tall.” I could see I would in in this a while, so I took a risk. Turning to the person next to me, I asked, “So what’s your earliest memory of coffee?” The man’s face lit up …

Baldwin goes on relate the coffee stories she elicited.

In my other home, Central Florida, I’m about an hour away from Walt Disney World, where waiting in long lines consumes at least half of the theme-park experience. What a great idea it would be to turn to folks in line and ask things like: “What’s your best memory of Disney World?” or “What do you remember about your first visit here?”