Personal Stories - Dylan Parkinson

1. The story of when my brother and I burnt down an entire hill [being a rebel story, playing with fire story, weird punishment by my parents story]. I usually tell this story to one-up someone else's 'I was a pyro' story. 
2. The story of dueling my wife's former 'missionary' [fight for your wife story, building my wife's ego story]. I usually tell this story when people ask about our courtship. 
3. The story of my parents divorce, their best decision yet [divorce can be a good thing, but it still leaves scars] I usually tell this story when people ask; my parents' divorce was a unique situation, so people are typically confused by it. 
4. Barely making the golf team to captain story [motivation is more powerful than raw talent, hard work pays off]. I tell this story to help others understand how important hard work is.
5. First week in Mexico, Spanish is hard story [missions are hard, missions are worth it] I'll tell this story to prospective missionaries, especially those who have been called Spanish speaking. 
6. Bailed my sister out of jail, Dad passed away, wife agreed to date me all in one day story [life is complicated, all's well that ends well]. I tell this story in intimate settings usually to get sympathy and to remind myself of how lucky I was to have someone there to help me. 
7. My brother's a meth addict story [what!?] I love to see people's reactions when they learn about my brother. 
8. Skipping school in fifth grade story [young rebel, after school suspension]. This story always gets people laughing and it's always unexpected.
9.  Learning how to ride a bike at three/being forced to learn how to ride a bike at three [Dad will be Dad, the faster you go the more stable you are]. I tell this story when my Dad is around to embarrass him a little and to get people laughing. 
10. The family restaurant story [royal bloodline, taking over the family business]. I typically tell this story while waiting tables at the restaurant; people tend to tip better when they know I'm family.