If You Don’t Write Your Autobiography – Nobody Will!
Earlier this year, my family and I traveled Philadelphia to visit the
birthplace of the Constitution. Naturally, the visit inspired us. We
witnessed the long conveyor belts of newly minted coins at the U.S.
Mint; we saw the Liberty Bell’s crack (which, incidentally, was
caused when trying to fix a larger crack); and we walked the
footsteps of the Founding Fathers at Independence Square.
But the museum that left the most lasting impression on me was an
unassuming place called the Independence Living History Center.
Inside the main part of the museum, artifacts unearthed at National
Constitution were arranged on numerous tables for scientists to sift
through. These artifacts represented small clues into the lives of
everyday folks who lived during this great time in American history.
When I asked the guide what they were doing with all of these
relics, he said, “History books are written about people like
Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson. Nobody’s going to write a
book about us. So, we’re left to piece together the histories of
people like us.”
History reconstructed from garbage?
Do you know where a lot of these artifacts were found? They were
found in the colonists’ version of the trash. I don’t know about you,
but I’m sure that I don’t want my history to be reconstructed from
trash.
The truth…
Probably nobody will write a book about me…probably not about
you, either. I don’t like to think that two hundred years from now,
some historian will try to recreate a generalized concept of how I
lived based on a few dirty garbage items recovered at the local
landfill. Do you?
You and I Have a Story Worth Telling
If you’ve lived a life, you’ve created a story. A worthwhile story. A
story worth preserving. A story worth passing on.
Even with a story, the task of recording it frightens even the most
dedicated writer. It’s especially hard trying to do it on your own.
Don’t Be Frightened
Just start writing.
Ideas will come to you.
Believe me - the story you tell will be much more interesting than
the story conveyed by your garbage!
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