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Your Life is Your Story, Issue #238 – Your Odyssey July 27, 2026 |
| Greetings "Your past is your story up to now. The future is the story yet to come. The present is where you live with that experience, your hopes and your dreams." 
Your Life is Your Story Newsletter July 27, 2026 Your Life is Your Story, Issue #238 – Your Odyssey From Tom Gilbert – Editor and Writer, www.your-life-your-story.com In this Issue: Opening remarks: Winning Streaks Featured Article – Your Odyssey Featured Resource – Free Introductory Memoir Discussion Opening Remarks: Winning StreaksEveryone loves a winner. And winning streaks amp things up a bit. My favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, seemed to be heading towards a disappointing season back in June. They were 15 games under .500. But then the team caught fire and won 15 games in a row to tie the team franchise record set in 1946 when the great Ted Williams was part of the team. So now things are looking up for my team. My great grandfather had some big winning streaks. He was a professional trapshooter back in the early 1900s and once achieved 591 consecutive clay pigeons without a miss at age 54. He’s in the Trapshooter Hall of Fame and I’ve always found his life story to be quite interesting. Winning streaks are nice, but at some point they come to an end. It’s impossible to be undefeated forever. When a loss, or a miss, happens then we need to face up to that and recognize that there are ups and downs in life and winning and losing are two sides of the same coin. Thank you so much for being part of the Your Life Is Your Story community. Thanks to all our subscribers. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue. You are receiving this e-zine because you signed up for it or someone who is subscribed passed it along to you. If a friend DID forward this to you consider subscribing by visiting our signup page . Also, let me know what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter – simply reply to this email e-zine. – Tom Featured Article: Your OdysseyWe are all on a journey. If not an actual journey, a metaphorical one.Life is a journey. The destination, if you have determined one, can be important, but I suspect it is not as important as the journey. 
I recently saw the new Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey. It is quite epic. Shot entirely in the IMAX format and they reportedly used more than 2 million feet of IMAX film. That’s a serious commitment. I decided to see the film in an IMAX theater and it was impressive. Perhaps more impressive is the discovery that our lives as journeys are full of goals, ideals, fears, challenges and hope. In this sense your life is an odyssey. Your odyssey, if reviewed, reflected upon, and shared in the form of a memoir or life story, can help you discover the history within. As a famous philosopher reportedly once stated, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That quote is attributed to Socrates. Whether he said it or not, there is something worth considering about the statement. In Homer’s epic poem he tells the story of a Greek general who leads his men into battle against the powerful city of Troy. He is part of a larger force sent to avenge the King of Sparta’s wife leaving him for another lover and fleeing to Troy. Troy is savagely destroyed and thousands killed and that is something that Odysseus is traumatized by. In war the victors only seem to win. Odysseus and his men stay stranded on the beach by Troy for a decade before eventually leaving for home, but without a certain idea of which direction. Along the way there are all kinds of trials and tribulations. It’s quite a mythic adventure and if you are familiar with the tale then you have an idea of how hard it was for Odysseus to eventually find a way home where he has a new challenge. In the twenty years he has been gone many suitors have been living off his wealth and each one hoping to sway Penelope, the queen and faithful wife of Odysseus. How this epic journey can connect to our own lives, our own odyssey, is recognizing that most of us grow up yearning to discover our place in the world and our purpose in life. And most of us encounter challenges, some bigger than others, some that might even be life threatening. If we explore our life journey we might learn some valuable things about ourselves. A memoir or life story can be an important way to process the journey and share the lessons. Janine Winters did this well with her memoir, French Twist–A Tale of Travel, Testing and Triumph, which I wrote for her. We spent a few years on the project and it certainly demonstrates that her odyssey was long, difficult, but eventually rewarding. Will you explore your personal odyssey? It might be a long and arduous task, but with dedication, learning how the process works, and getting help from a memoir writer, coach or personal historian you will have a better chance at completing your very important and personal journey. Read more articles here. Featured Resource: Free Introductory Memoir DiscussionI’ve been doing life writing work for over twenty years now. Mostly it has been helping others. But I have amassed a large number of articles on the subject of memoir and personal history and I know it is important for me to take my own advice and get my story done. Writing a memoir can be one of the greatest things you can do in life. Not everyone does it, of course, but if you are one who wants to and will commit to it, let me help you. For a limited time and a limited number of interested individuals I am offering a free 30 minute Zoom discussion, a one-on-one consultation to help you get started, or to continue your memoir work. I am a good sounding board and I have knowledge and tips to inspire and motivate you. All you have to do is reply to this email newsletter, or better yet, go to the Contact Us page on the Your Life Is Your Story website and let me know you are interested in the free 30 minute Zoom call. I will get back to you with more details and we can get it set up. Memoir writing can be a very powerful thing and your story can be of great help both to you and your loved ones. Closing InformationThat’s it for this month’s issue. Thanks for reading. Here’s to telling your story. Do give it some serious consideration because I just know you’ve got a great story to tell! Be sure to see the Get Started section.Any comments, ideas or feedback is greatly appreciated. Just reply to this ‘zine and tell me what you think! Until next time, – keep your story alive! Tom Gilbert |
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