A Day in Your Ordinary Life… Is Extraordinary to the Next Generation!
By: Susan McKenzie
Many people think, "My life is just too boring – too ordinary – to be worth recording in a Life Story Book!" Other people wonder, "How could I possibly tell my story… it's just too hard to tell!"
Well, here's the secret! To the eyes and ears of great-great grandchildren and their children, your life is extraordinary! You see, you don't need to share ALL the details … in fact, my 365-life story interview prompts will guide you effortlessly through a tour of your life! You can pick and choose the questions. Use just 10 questions or all of them!
Simply describing an "ordinary" day can be exciting to future generations, who would love to have a peek into your world. The video I shared above is just such an idea… and it's actually a peek into the "future". Whether it's true or not, we'll find out. But it's an illustration of how different our world is from what it used to be.
Technology has changed the way we do everything, from eating to shopping to communicating!
I remember in high school psychology class, our teacher, Mr. Lovell, shared with us (Class of '79) that one day in the future every home would have a computer. We gasped! How could that possibly be??? Computers were so huge and expensive, back in those days.
That same teacher also warned us that by the time our class reached retirement at age 65 there would be no more Social Security to depend on! Hmmmm…..
Do you remember what life was like back in 1979? How about 1933? If you're a World War II vet, you've watched a lot of changes… politically, economically, technologically…. before you forget the most important things, let's work together to record your story!
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Like my high school psychology teacher, would you like to help prepare the next generation for what they need to know to prepare for life in the future?
How much is forgotten and how quickly we forget the past! Not just the facts, but attitudes, dress, customs, communication devices, modes of transportation, etc.
What seems ordinary in one place and time is extraordinary in another. Yet, people still believe their "little lives" are not "special" enough to record for the next generation!
This week, I am editing the transcripts of two people who have shared their life stories with me. These are parents and grandparents who are daring to influence the future! I'd love to help you, as well!
As grateful as I am for the opportunity to hear what these people have learned, how much more grateful will their children be… for many generations into the future?
You can do it too.
Susan
PS Grab your FREE "All-in-One" Life Story Book Kit today! It contains a free e-book called "365 Life Story Interview Prompts" … use can do-it-yourself or I'll do it for you! My services include helping you to create a very special "Life Story Portrait" for your family today!
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Susan McKenzie has been listening to life stories for the past 12 years and she loves to help her clients cultivate the treasure hidden within their life experience into a gorgeous full-color "Life Story Portrait". These portraits are almost like "glamour shots" of a person's life, as Susan sees and records the beauty in each story she hears. Each Life Story Portrait is a cherished family heirloom that is digitally stored and can be edited and published over and over at the click of a button.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Gasp! Could that be possible… a world of glass? Wow! Great introduction to your article. You had my attention and such a good point!
I LOVE family history books! My mom does scrapbooking and has created one a year for each of my son's 8 years – and thank goodness, because I sure haven't! He loves those scrapbooks, and I feel so blessed she has the interest in family history enough to have taken the time to do them for him. Now to get hers done! ;o)
Such a great idea that you make this available for people Susan.
Traveling back in time is an awesome experience full of amazing lessons, but traveling back through those times through the eyes of those near and dear to us gives us a "connection" to those times that is priceless. What you offer Susan is a connection to who we are and that is priceless! Blessings!
Susan, I recently went through a box of things I had held onto from my mother. In there were these delicate, ultra-fragile fine linen hand towels that were all meticulously embroidered with minute stitches. Those used to hang in the guest bathroom for guests to our home in Brazil. And when drinks were served at our house, under each glass was a little fabric square to soak up the runoff from the ice … and it too was beautifully embroidered. Then there were the tablecloths and napkins, all with embroidered cut-work done by hand. And on and on. I washed everything carefully to get the yellow age marks out. (I'll have to get out my iron to get them back where they were before washing … in this age of wash and wear!) And as I did that, I reminisced about the lifestyle we lived overseas, with cocktail parties, bridge parties, dinner parties, etc. And, yes, we had servants. To some that life might seem exotic. To us, it was normal. And I'd do anything to have recorded the story of "A Day in the Life" of my parents while it was still possible!
Sharon, you have lived an extraordinary life… not just “back then” but even more especially, today! I love seeing the family photos you’ve posted on Facebook, especially the one with “attitude” of you and your dad when you were just 5-years old. I’d love to hear the “A Day in the Life of Sharon O’Day” story… all of your stories open up windows to a world many of us would love to visit! Your life is a rich tapestry … I hope you do record it! 🙂