The Story of my Life

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Jogging your memory, 28

(Note.. see the very beginning of this blog for important steps on how to get started writing your life story)


~ What do you do to relieve stress in your life? What kinds of activities relax you? How did you discover they were helpful? Have those activities changed over the years? What is your preferred mode of relaxation?

~ What phrases or sayings have you found yourself repeating over the years? These may be words of wisdom, philosophies, knee-jerk reactions, slang, etc. Where did these phrases come from? In what circumstances do you repeat them? How do people react to these phrases when you say them? It may help to think of what people have told you, you always say. You might even ask friends and family members for help.

~ Think either of your relationship with your siblings growing up, or the relationship with your children as they were growing up. How would you describe the relationship? What was the general mood among you (or them)? Was there a lot of competition? How did it manifest itself? Was it mostly harmonious, supportive, angry, bitter, joyful, fun . . . ? How did it affect you, change you, shape you? How did you contribute to the mood or participate in it? How have those childhood interactions shaped the relationships of the siblings as adults?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Jogging your memory, 27

(Note.. see the very beginning of this blog for important steps on how to get started writing your life story)


~ Recall a memorable family gathering as an adult. Was it your family or your in-laws? What time of year was it? Where did you gather? What was the occasion? Was it joyful and loving; argumentative and explosive? Was it typical of such gatherings? Why was it that way? Who seemed (or seems) to most affect the personality of the gathering? What specifically happened, and how did it affect you? What part did you play in the events?

~ What was one of the biggest trials or challenges in your life? How did it come about? How did you respond to it? How long did the situation last? How did you finally overcome it or come to terms with it?

~ What would you identify as your best character traits? Did you come by them easily or have you had to work over many years to develop them? How did you go about developing them?. Are there any character traits you wish you had that you don't, or that are not as strong as you would wish?