For the past several days, I have been contemplating life.

I do this often. It’s almost a ritual at this point. I stop. I review. I think about things I have done; I question why I did them, and evaluate them. I try to learn from things I have done and havent done. I guess at the future; at alternative paths decision points could have created.

And, I do this quietly for the clarity it brings.

Yesterday, I was interviewed by a Japanese magazine. I get interviewed now and again, mostly about startups, often about Graphicly. This time, when asked why Graphicly, “It about the stories,” jumped out of my mouth.

One of the realizations I have come to over the past few days, is that I love story and love to tell stories.

It’s the legacy my grandmother left me.

My grandmother, who died last year, told stories constantly. Some would call her a liar. I called her inventive. Some were amazed at her tales. I was impressed with their ever-changing plots.

She would sit with me for hours spinning a tale that I would remember for years. As she got older, I would remind her of the story of the prince that lived in a speck of dirt that could only escape in a soap-bubble.

And she would tell me of the continued aventures of the tiny prince.

She taught me that everything is about the story. Everything is about how its told. It’s about the connection between words and imagination.

It’s what gets me so excited about what we are doing at Graphicly. We are enabling people to converse around story. We are helping to build community around imagination. Mostly, we are supporting the story tellers.

My grandmother once told me that stories were what bound communities together. Shared experiences and beliefs recounted in simple ways. We all love to slay the dragon and woo the princess. We strive to be the hero. We want to save the world.

“Give me a chance,” we demand in our stories. “Give me a chance, and I will change the world.”

Everything builds around the story. The truth, the lies, the inconsistencies, the reveals.

I miss my grandmother’s stories. I find that when I am contemplating my life, I often hear her voice telling my story. I see the curved corner of her mouth indicating that she knows the truth is malleable, and that the story is better for it.

In my daily life, I lean on the story. I talk in pictures, I see problems and solutions visually, and find explaining issues is easier when there is a bit of a story surrounding it. “It’s like my grandmother once told me,” I explain. “Our users are like the little prince living on his own little planet. They want their planet to be theirs, but they also want to show it to their friends.”

Story lives everywhere. Today I read a post written by a friend about three other friends. The quick of it: Sarah Lacy wrote a post about how Bijan Sabet‘s Spark Capital reneged on a term sheet that was presented to Lauren Leto and Patrick Moberg of Bnter, enraging the NYC investor world and showing that VCs are evil.

It’s always hard reading Sarah’s posts because I know that she writes in a way that forces the reader to love or hate the content and, by association, her. It’s a great style that clearly drives a lot of readership.

As I finished reading the story, my first reaction was a mix of disappointment in someone I have a ton of respect for (I have told Bijan that he is one of three people I would love to have on a board one day) and disappointment for two people who I have a ton of respect for (Patrick drew a picture a few years ago that got me to dive into blogging with both feet, and Lauren is an interesting mix of focus, savvy, luck and energy  – and while this sounds stalkerish, I am fascinated with the fascination people have with her, and the image she has cultivated. Plus they are both cool as shit. People I’d probably hang out with and invite to my parents house if they ever happened to be in my home town.).

But, as I stepped back and started to think through the story — and there is no doubt that regardless of the amount of truth present, it’s a story — it began to remind me more and more of my grandmother’s twinkle.

The evil VC; the wide-eyed and naive entrepreneurs. Their cliché hollywood moment. And the anger and outrage that ensued.

Did it happen? No idea.

But here is what I know: Bijan is one of the most standup people (let alone VC) that I know.

And, when I wrote my post that 2011 is going to be the year of women entrepreneurs, my biggest mistake was missing Lauren. She is neither naive or wide-eyed, and with Patrick could very well make Bnter the biggest story of 2011 (if it can move outside of NY effectively).

I am excited to speak at Big Omaha with Sarah. She is a fantastic storyteller. Her ability to weave truth, opinion and supposition into a relatable story is second to none. Hate or love her, her writing is amazing.

And when I am at Funded By Night in Detroit, I will certainly be excited to hear about Bnter’s progress and what Lauren has planned (and, of course, which VCs are going to be lucky enough to be part of that future), and commiserate about investors that bailed out at the last minute or came in at much, much lower amounts that originally promised).

My grandmother once told me that an adventure not worth telling a story about was not worth going on.

We entrepreneurs have plenty of stories to tell, and at the end of the day, it’s the adventures and stories that make it all worth it.

Related articles

• The Betrayal of Bnter (techcrunch.com)
• Pitch Perfect – Playing With Your Toys (learntoduck.com)
• (Founder Stories) Lauren Leto: Texts From Last Night Was A Million Dollar Idea, Bnter Is Next (techcrunch.com)
• Grandmother chronicles: What’s the story? (sarahjansen.wordpress.com)
• Pitch Perfect – Get Your Story Straight (learntoduck.com)