How Have Other People's Problems Affected Your Life?

Here's another question for your story:

How have other people's problems affected your life?

The answer to this question could be very extensive.  You might be able to write a whole book about how other people's problems have affected your life.  If you grew up with abusive parents, they affected your life.  If your parents divorced, they affected your life.  If your parents stayed happily married throughout their lives, they affected your life.  If your spouse got a job in another city, it affected your life whether you moved with your spouse to the other city or whether you stayed by yourself where you were living.  If your child used drugs or ended up in jail, it affects you.  If you child graduates with honors from college, it affects you.  Most of our lives are truly affected by other people.  We may choose where to live because of other people such as elderly parents who need extra help, or wanting to be close to grandchildren.  We may choose a career because we saw what it was like for someone else working in that line of work.  We are influenced by other people in what we like, what we choose to do in our free time, what we choose to believe and in nearly every aspect of our lives.

Writing down what you did and why you did it will probably involve what someone else did and the influence they had on you.  How other people have affected you is an important part of your story.  Other people's influence on you can explain a lot of things in your life.  Were your ancestors pioneers who traveled out west?  Did their fortitude in establishing homes where there were no communities have an effect on your family that has been passed on to you?  What about ancestors who were immigrants?  Did their willingness to come to a new country affect your family?  Did your family stay put in the same community or area for generations?  How did that affect your family?  Record the influence others have had on you in your life story.

 

Advice on the Prairie by William Tylee Ranney Postcard by MasterpieceCafe
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Do You Remember Getting New Shoes?

Another question for your story:

Do you remember getting new shoes?

When you were young do you remember getting new shoes?  Do you remember going to a shoe store and trying on new shoes?  Or do you remember ordering new shoes from a catalog.  What were you favorite shoes like?  Did you like them because they were comfortable or did you like them because of how they looked or were they both comfortable and good looking?  Were your shoes the latest fashion?  How often did you get new shoes?  Did you ever wear second-hand shoes?  Did you try to avoid shoes and go barefoot as much as possible?

In today's world we all have to wear shoes.  You aren't allowed to go to school barefoot.  You can't even go in a lot of stores barefoot.  Shoes are a protection from thorns, sharp rocks, broken glass and other hazards you may find outside.  

Write down what the first pair of shoes you remember wearing were like.  The first pair of shoes I remember were red in color and had a strap that went across the top of my foot or could be turned back around the heel of the shoe.  I liked wearing the shoes with the strap around the heel because I felt more grownup that way.  Most days I wore white tennis shoes to school.  I changed into older worn-out tennis shoes when I got home and did chores around the farm.  Slip-on shoes were saved for Sunday and special occasions.

There's no place like print by lindseycphotography
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What Were Your Favorite Clothes to Wear?

Here's another question for your story:

What were your favorite clothes to wear?  What did you enjoy wearing?  What were you wearing when you received compliments on how you looked?  What clothes did you hate to wear?

What kind of clothes did you like to wear when you were growing up?  As a boy did you wear jeans and a t-shirt or overalls or shorts?  What did you like to wear best and why?  As a girl did you have to wear dresses or did you never put on a dress?  Did you like wearing dresses or did you always want to wear pants?

Throughout my school years dresses were the required attire for girls.  We only got to wear pants or jeans for special days.  The first time I wore pants was when our family went to an amusement park.  My mother wore dresses all of the time and I never remember seeing her in pants, but I do have a photo of her wearing slacks under a dress when she was riding a horse.  My father liked to wear overalls when he was working.  He would wear long-sleeved cotton shirts in the summer and long-sleeved flannel shirts in the winter.  When my dad dressed up to go to town, he would wear slacks with a button-up shirt.  For church, he would wear a suit, shirt, and tie. 

 

The most special piece of clothing that I remember was a prom dress that my mother sewed for my Junior Prom.  She had been in the hospital and had come home just a short while before my prom.  Although she still didn't feel well, she managed to sew me a dress with a lace overlay.  It was simple, but it was beautiful.  My mother died just a short while after my prom.  I have hung onto and cherished that dress because it meant so much to me that my mother had made it for me.

Write about your favorite clothing.  Why did you like it?  Did it have any special stories behind it?  Writing about the clothing you wore adds a lot to your story. 

  A T-Shirt to wear featuring your family tree

Transportation Troubles

Here's another question for your life story:

Have you ever had transportation troubles?

Have you had your car break down and leave you stranded?  What did you do?  Did you have to walk for help?  Did someone stop and offer you help?  Did you have your car towed?  Did you fix your car yourself?  Transportation troubles can add a lot to a story.  Record your experiences with transportation troubles.  Maybe you were involved in an accident.  Maybe you were stranded in a big snowstorm.  Maybe you missed your flight or train or bus.  Maybe you missed something important because you didn't have a way to get there.  

Sometimes transportation troubles can have a positive side.  The kind person who stopped and helped you change a flat tire is a wonderful blessing.  The neighbor who offers you a ride is so appreciated.  The friend who loans you their car until yours is fixed is a marvelous act of kindness.

I have been the recipient of help with car problems.  I have had rides offered from several people.  My co-worker offered me a ride home from work today in her brand new car.  She had to show me how the GPS worked and how when you went to back up there was a picture of the blind spot right behind your car there.  There were so many wonderful features in her car.  It was a real treat just to ride in it.  Maybe it was a blessing that my car wouldn't start and I had to walk to work.  Perhaps one of the greatest kindnesses I have received was when a friend who was moving gave me her car.  She said she wasn't going to need a car and she wanted me to have it because my old car was developing some serious problems.  

If you are writing the story of a parent or grandparent you may have some very interesting stories about transportation to include.  My grandmother said she and her brothers and sisters took a horse and a cart to school.  They had to take along some hay for the horse to eat while they were in school. 

Including stories about transportation will add a lot of interest to your life story. 

Children in Horse-Drawn Cart Iphone 3 Case-mate Case by AsTimeGoesBy
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The Empty Pickle Jar

The Empty Pickle Jar

I invite you to watch this short movie about time.  It makes you stop and think about how you spend your time.  Watching this movie reminded me of the important things in life and how easy it is to get sidetracked with the small stuff.  I especially like the comment about the chocolate milk at the end.

Fresh Pickles Label for Homemade Pickles Round Stickers by stickermad
Browse Pickles Stickers

I just watched a video about Mr. Rodgers.  Mr. Rodgers was on TV when my children were young.  I felt his show was one of the best for children to watch.  Watching this video brought back memories of the time when my daughters were young.  When you see something that brings back memories, record your memories and add to your life story.

What Kind of Foods Did You Eat?

Another question for you life story:

What kind of foods did you eat?

What kind of foods did you eat as a child?  Were you really fussy and just wanted one kind of food, or did you like anything place in front of you, or were you somewhere in between?  Did you always eat at home, or did you eat out a lot?  Did your family have guests over for meals frequently, or was it just your family at mealtimes?  Did you all sit down at a table and eat together, or did you each grab a plate of food and eat while watching TV or reading a book?  Did you have the table set with place mats or a tablecloth and a full place setting, or did you just use the utensils that you needed like a spoon for a bowl of soup or a fork for a salad?  Did you learn to use words like please and thank you, or did you reach across the table to get what you wanted?
Eating is such a fundamental part of our lives that what and how and where and when we eat should be included as part of our story.  Write about your favorite foods.  Write about the foods you dislike and why.  Write about different kinds of food that your family ate.  My dad liked to have a bowl of bread and milk for supper each night.  The milk was fresh and often still warm right from the cow.  He would make a little pile of salt and dip a radish or a green onion or other raw vegetable in the salt and eat it along with the bread and milk.  I've learned that bread and milk was a pioneer staple especially for supper.  My dad continued with that tradition from his pioneer ancestors.  Often the whole family would eat the bread and milk, but sometimes my mother fixed other things for us.  My dad still preferred a bowl of bread and milk for supper.

Include stories about food in you life story to make it even more interesting since every one likes food.