I want to thank you for reading my blog, commenting, and sharing it with your friends & family.
I take time at the end of every year to review and assess my last twelve months—and that includes my blog. I started this blog on October 18, 2014 and have learned a great deal about myself, others, and various technologies.
I must write it all out, at any cost. Writing is thinking. It is more than living, for it is being conscious of living. ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh
“Up to a point a man’s life is shaped by environment, heredity,
and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate.
Everyone has it within his power to say,
‘This I am today; that I will be tomorrow‘.”
–Louis L’Amour
If you are looking for the PERFECT gift – here it is:
Interview loved ones before it is too late.
Honor key people in your life with the simple (and enjoyable) act of an interview.
When? Do it now.
Why? Because someday it will be too late – and you’ll regret it forever.
Who?
Your mother
Father
Spouse
Grandparents
Siblings
Friends
Aunts, Uncles, Cousins
Former teachers and coaches
Ask them about:
Fond memories
Their values
Lessons learned
Their loved ones
Favorite things
Regrets
Anything!
They will enjoy it as much as you!
Here are some excerpts from an interview with my 88 year old father
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. And my brother and sister. And my cousins. And my children. And their children who have not yet been born …
What do you remember most about your father?
(A ‘fish’ story unlike ones you’ve heard before.)
What do you remember most about your mother or grandmother?
(A spoiled child figures out what is for breakfast.)
How would you describe your brother?
(Uncle Jack was one of a kind.)
What have you learned about other people?
(Don’t judge a book by its cover.)
What memories do you have from growing up?
(“No job too big for me.” Mike talking about horses as a young man near present-day Vail, Colorado.)
I will never regret interviewing my father
And it only took a few minutes.
However, you may regret NOT interviewing someone.
Please, for your sake and theirs – interview them.
When?
When would NOW be a good time?
Alzheimer’s and my own ignorance makes it impossible for me to interview my mother now. It’s too late. I missed countless opportunities to interview her when she was lucid and healthy. It would have only taken a few minutes. I am writing this post to help you avoid making the same mistake.
image from Untrained Housewife
image from Untrained Housewife
