Has a loved one ever told such a good story that you suggested selling the movie rights? I’ve heard some wonderful stories about my family. That inspired me to draw and write this cartoon.
One of my fondest memories of my father-in-law was when we would drive all night to Florida. He would tell me stories about his childhood, his ancestors, and the lessons he learned through life’s struggles to keep us awake.
One late night, I encouraged him to write the stories down. He balked at the idea. “No one would ever care about those stories,” he said. But I told him his grandkids would. Still, the idea of archiving those stories overwhelmed him.
Today, I wish we would have sat down together and I got those stories down. Many of them went with him to the grave. They are lost forever, like so many other stories that left this world upon someone’s death.
Record Those Stories!
That’s why I’ve always been intrigued by the Storycorps project. It’s a way for people from all backgrounds to record their stories for future generations. You don’t have to be a writer. All you have to do is talk about the stories that may be worth selling the movie rights to.
We may think our stories are boring, or not worth recording. But what if several generations from now, your story inspires others? What we think is mundane and average today could be extraordinary to historians and our family.
Let’s get those stories recorded, whether or not they are worthy of selling the movie rights!
Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.
