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The
"Your Life is Your Story" Blog Archives
© Tom
Gilbert
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quality family history and life story news, views, methods, products,
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September,
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Think Before You Speak
September 26, 2017
Let's get a show of hands: who thinks there are too many people who speak before they think?
I hear you.
It seems to be quite the problem. Way too many people are moving their
lips before engaging their brains. Look, I get it - sort of. We all
want to be heard and we all want to voice our opinion. But let's face
it; when you speak without thinking what comes out of your mouth might
be something you will soon regret.
Some people have no filter. They will voice the first thing that comes
to their mind (which is ironic, since what comes to their mind is often
not thoughtful, just impulsive).
In this day of social media and global communication the "blurting out"
is often posted for everyone to see and it is around for a long time.
Say something you regret on twitter, Facebook, Instagram or a myriad of other options and it is bound to come back to haunt you.
I guess you could call this post a rant. Ultimately, however, it is not my point or purpose.
What I want you to consider regarding think before you speak
is what you are going to share about your life and your personal
history. We all have a story to tell and it involves you, but not just
you. There are other people (the characters in your life story) and the
places you've been (the setting). And there is the theme (the life
lessons or purpose of your one, incredible life).
When I take on a personal history or life story project I will often
have conversations with the subject prior to any actual interviewing. I
want to get familiar with the person, and they with me. We need to
establish some rapport. I even will provide some interview questions
ahead of time. While there is value in some spontaneous
answers, life story questions are frequently deeply probing and
require some thought and consideration before answering. So it helps to
prepare the subject.
You can see some of the questions I consider important in the article, The Right Questions. A questions such as, "What do you want most for those you love?" deserves some time to ponder.
So, here's to think before you speak. Wouldn't it be great if more people did that?
MemoryWell Helping Sufferers of Alzheimer's Preserve Their Stories
September 18, 2017
Here's some good news and a worthy effort to help those afflicted with
Alzheimer's. A startup company, MemoryWell, is using the power of
storytelling to improve their longterm care. A news story on Forbes.com gives you insight into this and you can also visit the MemoryWell site to learn more about how they are "preserving care one story at a time."
Remembering Grandparents and 9-11
September 11, 2017
Today is another anniversary of 9-11,
the terrible day of terrorist attacks on the United States on September
11, 2001. Rightly so, we should never forget and always honor the
memories of those who died that day. So many heartbreaks, but also so
many heroes.
Yesterday was the annual Grandparents Day
holiday. I find myself reflecting on both grandparents and 9-11. There
are some commonalities. For instance, we want to always remember and
honor the memories of the victims of 9-11. So, too, do we honor and
treasure the memories of our grandparents. Mine have all passed on and
a few years ago I became a
grandparent. It is truly one of the greatest things in my life. As the
saying goes, "If I knew grandchildren would be so wonderful I would
have had them first!"
I vividly remember that fateful day in September, 2001. I can recall
the raw emotions, the fear, concern, worry and anger. I did not yet
have any grandchildren, in fact, my children were still living at
home and just 8 and 13.
Today I taught my fifth graders some history about 9-11. We also paid
tribute to our grandparents as part of a school-wide Grandparents Day
celebration. I am sure it fed my ideas for this post.
Amidst heartbreak and tragedy there is often the silver lining. So it
was with 9-11. No one can completely erase the loss of a loved one, and
erasing it is not even the point. Remembering and memoralizing those
who've died is the point. How do you do that? There are various ways,
through pictures, writing, and sharing their lives.
Grandparents are often able to pass on the wisdom and family history we need to honor and remember.
I've seen many a good memoir or family history that speaks about a
person's grandparents. I have also seen my share of 9-11 tributes.
Let's keep the memories in our hearts and together work to forge a
world where there is peace through multiple generations.
The Five W's of Work
September 5, 2017
The Labor Day holiday was yesterday. I find myself reflecting on work - the who, what, where, when and why of it.
Most of us work. We labor at a job and we hope our paycheck will cover our expenses.
But I've found that it really is important to work to live, rather than
the other way around - live to work. If you are not sure what that
means, I am repeating some age old wisdom that we need to have a full
and meaningful life and if we have to work, hopefully whatever we do
contributes to that life. You don't want to work in a dead-end job that
you hate and that doesn't fulfill you. Even if it fills your bank
account.
With that in mind, let's consider what meaningful work entails. I like using the 5 W's as a guide.
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