Having completed the 4th and final session of my Boredom to Brilliance class at the WKU Society of Lifelong Learning there are some things that I learned from the experience which I wished I had thought of to share.
One thing that came to mind after the final session was the question of the ‘medium’ to choose to express what someone may want to express. It is difficult to create something artistic when you don’t use a particular artistic skill on a regular basis. So, how is one to project their thoughts into the world?
The answer is embedded in the word “history”. Part of that word is ‘story’. It could be argued that history is a ‘story’ of the past. Like any story, what happened is steeped in the “what does it mean” water of interpretation. What happened is always interpreted by meaning of what happened.
We all find our own lives to be ‘normal’ if not mundane. It is easy to think that our lives have no great importance in the broad scope of the world’s history. While it may be true at some level it may not be true on all levels. We cannot know what or how our life stories will be perceived or even seen by others. But, one thing is certain, it can’t be if you don’t share it. So, in a way, we are deciding for the world if our story can be a help to others and I am not sure that is necessarily a tenable position.
So let’s look at people whose mundane lives have been ‘appreciated’ by the world. I’ll use a couple of my mother’s favorite stories that she loved to read and watch.
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her ‘life story’ in her series of books called “The Little House on the Prairie”. Now, I ask you. Even if you never read the books, which are different from the series in some ways, you probably have heard and even watched an episode or two on television. What was earth shattering about those lives? NOTHING. But, it tells a story of how life was ‘back in those days’. Would it not have been easy for Mrs. Wilder to have just said, “What if nobody reads it? and so I won’t write it?” Would the world miss it? No! Of course not. The world doesn’t miss what never existed? No! Does that mean the story shouldn’t be told? By all accounts the answer is no. Does it mean the ‘everybody’ will read it, or watch it or even know it existed? Clearly not.
We can’t know what will take and what won’t. But, we can know what we give and that is the gift of our experience in life. It isn’t any of our business who sees it.
My mom loved watching the Walton’s. She loved it because it harkened back to a simpler time where value was placed on family, friends, and humility. But, what if John Boy had never written all that down? Would the world have missed it? No. Because the world doesn’t miss what never existed.
Art is a record of our existence. Our story is a small part of the history of the world and our insights from having lived the life we lived is important. To what degree you can’t know ahead of time.
So, if you have a family, the husband worked hard and the wife was the homemaker and successfully raised your children your life story is, to my way of thinking, not only important but also vital for the future of families in the world. How did you do it? What did you do? What stories from your experience represent touching memories you have about your life? Why should anyone even try to have families anymore? Your experience is valuable to young people starting out. The family has historically been the most important social factor in the structure of life. But, now it seems people are hesitant to risk having a family. Like me, for instance. They, like me, don’t ‘get’ the importance of having a family and where will they get the information they need to make a responsible choice for themselves if not through the story you tell?
We downplay our lives to the point where we almost disappear to ourselves and to the world around us and the truth is it isn’t even about that. It is about recording your memories and thoughts about your life so that it brings you joy to recall them and that one day will be cherished by the family you built. Over and beyond that is just up to others to decide.
So, the bottom line is. Tell your story on paper. It doesn’t have to be any size. You can write down life episodes that made you feel something special in those moments. I will attempt one such story here from my life.
“My good friend John and I decided one day it would be fun to take the family cabin sailboat and camp overnight in it on Barren River Reservoir. Our Venture/MacGregor 222, named Sunshine because it had a yellow hull, was dry docked at the Port Oliver Yacht Club. That sounds much more elite than it is. Basically it is a lot on the lake where the members park their boats nestled between the pine trees the Corps of Engineers had planted at the time of the building of the reservoir.
So we launched the boat and had a great afternoon and evening of sailing. We pulled into a cove of the island in the middle of the lake, backed the boat onto the shore, tied it to some trees, and pitched the anchor to hold the bow pointing away from the shore. It was easier to get on and off the boat from the back.
As nighttime approached it became clear that it was going to rain. The 222 has a “Pop-Top” making it possible to stand up in the cabin. The “Pop Top” had a canvas tent which you could use to keep the rain out. So, that is what we did.
We cooked the steaks we had bought on a little sterno stove and it took forever. But, boy was it good! After we cleaned up we turned off the lights and went to sleep. We were awakened by a couple of lightning claps and the storm, but after it was gone we slept great.
The next morning we slept much longer than I thought possible and woke to an incredibly beautiful morning. The air was fresh and crisp, the sky was a deep clear blue, and the breeze cool and refreshing but constant, not erratic. When we finally got all set up we sailed for most of the day and then returned home.
I’ll never forget that experience because it is simply so clear in my mind. I remember John and what a willing friend he was to explore sailing with me. Both of us had very little idea what our lives were about yet but we knew we were going to go somewhere and we did. But, those common experiences will remain forever.”
So, was that so hard to do? Could I give more detail, describe things in a more colorful way? Yes, and everything one writes should be edited and improved upon so that it become more ‘fun’ to read. But, the essence of it is to record it on paper or some more permanent medium.
I’d love to hear your stories and I’m sure you have some great ones! But, we’ll never know unless you record it in some way.