My storytelling friend Barbara Tien over at Ponga.com (more about that soon) asked an excellent question recently,
What’s your road?
This thought keeps swimming around in my head like a bowl-bound goldfish! Yes, there’s lots of thoughts up there, but space to move around too. Although I responded briefly in the moment, her question deserves more time. It’s actually an ideal prompt to write a chapter in your family history or memoir and hone your storytelling skills all at the same time.
As I prepare to launch the Fast Track Your Memoir group coaching program in just a few days I’ve been thinking a lot about our journeys to share our stories. We all have roads in our lives.
- Some traipse through the woods
- Some are high speed interstates speeding us to our destination
- Some are rocky and rutted dirt paths
- Others…aren’t roads at all
My road isn’t paved, it is a narrow, winding rock trail leading up into the Organ Mountains a few miles above the high desert in southern New Mexico. My father first traveled this path with me on horseback almost 50 years ago. He rode a mellow tempered dun mare, me trotting double time right behind him on a choppy little black pony named Thunder.
Dad adored the outdoors and loved sharing it with others, introducing them to the glory of creation and teaching them to see better, to fish, to really observe the world around them. He was a skilled photographer and passed along this love for visual storytelling. My siblings and I were the recipients of this life wisdom and it shaped us all in a myriad of positive ways.
We are resilient.
We are observant.
We appreciate the beauty of shape and form.
We listen well.
We’ve been taught to look deeper.
We are strong.
Dad passed away a couple years ago but I hear his voice and see that encouraging lop-sided grin whenever I walk these trails. My heart hears the sharp ring of horses’ hooves on the granite trail behind me as I gaze out over the valley, sharp peaks soaring into the cool morning at my back. Dad loved a good story and passed this passion along to me.
We’ve all said it. “I wish I’d have done or said ‘X’” We wish we’d talked to our families, we wish we’d said “yes” to that opportunity to spend more time together. We wish we’d asked about their stories or their memories. We wish we’d flipped through those family photos one more time and truly listened.
I for one don’t want to live with regrets. Now is the time, listen, look at the photos, pay attention to the stories, ask for the memories and cherish the stories.
Are you ready to make a shift and stop struggling to write your memoir yourself? It’s far easier to do this with the support and guidance of others. I’m counting down the days until launching the pilot program I mentioned in an earlier email. If you missed it, shoot me an email at karen@rememberingthetime and I’ll fill you in on the details. The Fast Track Your Memoir group coaching program is filling up fast. There are just a few spots left, once they’re gone you’ll have missed your chance to get in on the ground floor and make serious, guided progress with your story.
I’d love to help you, don’t stay stuck. Join with a friend and take advantage of a buddy discount, ask me how! Hope to see you on the inside!
Karen