I’ve always had it on my list to get some of the stories from my life into written form, but as of yet have only done a minimal amount.
It’s not that my life has been particularly interesting (although there have been some times in my life that are a bit more entertaining), but rather for these 4 reasons:
1) To document the past.
For myself. For my daughter. For the my potential future grandkids.
I wish I had things I could read to give me insight into my own parents and grandparents’ lives before I knew them.
I’d like to give that gift to my future family.
2) To fully own my story.
I think part of being happy, honest, and successful is owning who you are and where you came from–the good, the bad…all of it.
Everyone has past failures and successes and a unique history that helped to shape the person they are in the present. But a lot of times we only see today. Or, in an effort to improve our perceived image, we disavow our own past and secrets because we worry that others won’t accept the full picture.
I know that I am guilty of doing it sometimes. It’s been an internal struggle to be more public with things about me that aren’t necessarily accepted in the mainstream. I’ve also got my share of things in my past that while I personally am not ashamed of them, I am aware that they are judge-worthy to some.
3) To learn from these experiences.
It’s usually the worst things that have happened to us (or the worst choices we have made) that present the largest opportunity for growth.
I’d like to share some of the lessons from y own life, both to reflect on them personally and so that others might benefit from them.
4) To help erase shame and stigma.
We all have “skeletons in the closet.” It sometimes feels like we are the only one dealing with certain issues, but in reality there are so many others who have gone through the same things or are going through it now.
When more people open up and share their experiences, we can dispel some of the shame that comes from things we are alone.
So that’s what the “Chronicles” section here on the blog is all about. I’m a little nervous about writing in such a public format, but that is also part of what I’m working on in terms of being more “out there” and sharing more of me.
In the year+ leading up the election, she asked me about Donald Trump a lot. While we did talk about the election and she knew I was a Hillary supporter, I didn’t go into all the specific horrible things Trump had said on the record. She did however see things online or hear them at school. After all, our kids do live in an information age. Sadly, I found out that she even knows the famous “grab ’em by the pussy” line, his judgement and name-calling of women based on their appearance, the Muslim ban, and more.
She and I talk about love a lot. Not love in a one-on-one relationship with someone you know personally, but love for our fellow men/women. I always tell her–and mean it–that I love EVERYONE. No matter who it is on the street, in the car next to me, on another continent, or someone who is different from me ideologically in every way. I still care about that person as an individual and would help them if I had the opportunity. She had adopted this same philosophy over the years.