Wild Animals

What encounters have you had with wild animals?

Wild animals are all around us.  Even when you live in a town or city you may encounter a wild animal.  It may be a snake, a frog, a mouse, or a lizard; or it may be a bear, a mountain lion, or an elk.  If you go camping or hiking in the mountains you may encounter wild animals.  Recording your experiences with wild animals will add a lot to your story.

In the past couple of weeks here where I live there have been three or four encounters with bears in the communities in this area.  Apples from an apple tree encouraged one bear to come into a yard and even up on the porch of the home.  Open garbage carts enticed other bears.  

When we moved to this community because of my husband's work, he warned me of some of the wildlife we would deal with.  Our cat became an indoor only cat when I saw a coyote in our backyard just a few feet from the sliding glass door.  I found a large scorpion in a closet which totally scared me.  My daughters screamed as they came in the house after school one day.  I went to see what was wrong and saw the end of a large black, red and yellow snake slithering into the side yard.  By the time my husband got home the snake was gone.  While going for a walk, my husband and I saw a large blue heron.  I didn't realize herons were almost as tall as people.

I could keep writing about wild animals and I could add more to each experience.  You probably have many stories of encounters with wild animals that you could share in your life story.  Write down your experiences and share them with others.

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Good Books

Have you read any books that you would highly recommend that others read?

We are influenced by the things we read.  Both fiction and nonfiction can change our lives.  Are there any books that you have read that have made a big difference in your life?  

Most English classes have certain required reading.  We learn from what we read.  Our values and ideas are affected by what we read.  Not many years ago the Bible was required reading in the schools in America.  Today it would be considered mixing religion with government for the Bible to be taught in the schools.  Have you learned something important from what you have read.  Writing down what you have learned from what you have read may be an influence on those who read your life story.  Perhaps they will want to read what you have read, so they can learn what you have learned.  Since reading affects so much of our lives, then sharing what you have read is an important part of your life story.

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Plumbing Emergencies

Have you ever had a plumbing emergency?

Major disasters made headlines on the news, but sometimes disasters happen to us on an individual basis.  Plumbing is one of those things that can quickly turn into a disaster.  Have you ever had a pipe break that flooded your house?  Have you had a faucet refuse to turn off so water kept pouring out?  Have you ever tried to fix some of your plumbing and just had things get worse.  Plumbing problems can be one of the most discouraging things to happen in your life.  Plumbers earn a lot of money for their skills and time.  If you hire a plumber for your plumbing problem, it can get fixed rather quickly; but it will cost you significant amount.  If you try to fix your own plumbing, you might end up causing something else to break and you may end up paying for a plumber any way.  

When you write your story write about any disasters you may have encountered in your life.  Just a few days ago, one of my outside faucets wouldn't shut off after I finished watering outside.  I laid the hose next to a watermelon plant and let the water soak deep into the soil as I tried to figure out what to do with the problem.  The handle just spun around without shutting off the water.  I thought about using a cap on the hose or on the faucet itself to stop the water, but I didn't have a cap or a plug the right size.  It was almost dark on a Saturday night.  Both of the hardware stores in our town were closed.  I knew calling a plumber out on a weekend and at night would really cost a lot.  So I decided to have the water turned off.  I had to have it turned off at the meter because I hadn't been able to get into the shut off on my side.  

I lived for two and a half days without running water. Fortunately I had several bottles of water on hand which I could use. I had to wait to call the plumber on a week day and he couldn't come until the next day to even look at my problem.  My bishop found out about my problem and came over to look at it Monday evening.  Within an hour he had capped off the pipe and got it ready for me to have the water turned back on.  I couldn't believe how kind he had been.  I was truly blessed to have him just jump in and fix the problem.  

Running water is a wonderful thing.  Showers, washing dishes, washing clothes, washing hands, flushing toilets are marvelous things when you've lived for a while without them.  Sharing your experiences about little disasters in your life may help others to appreciate the blessings they have.  You may be able to share lessons you learned from your experience and maybe even be able to be of help to them when they experience a similar disaster.  Write down your experiences with your disasters whether large or small.

 

Drippy Garden Hose Plate by ArtIsLife_LifeIsArt
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Favorite Season

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Political Views

What are and were your political views?

With the presidential election coming up this year there is much discussion about political points of view.  Part of your history involves your political point of view.  Even if you hate politics and don't want to hear anything about the election still that is part of your history.  Write down what you believe the government should do.  Write down where you stand on the issues now and throughout your life.  Write down why you chose to vote for certain people.  Write down if you ever regretted voting for someone.  Recording what was happening in the political world and how it affected you can be a big part of your story.  

My parents felt Social Security was a bad idea.  They felt it wouldn't work out well.  Things did change since Social Security started and there are problems.  It would be interesting to talk with my parents about what they feel about what is happening now.

Write down your opinions about politics and add a lot to your story.

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Dancing

When did you learn to dance?  What kind of dancing did you learn to do? 

When did you learn to dance?  Did your parents put on music and encourage you to dance to it?  Did they dance?  Did you learn to dance in school?  Was it fun or was it hard to dance?  Did you take dance lessons like tap dancing, ballet, clogging or ballroom dance?  Did you attend dances such as your Junior Prom?  Did you dance all night or were you a wallflower?  Did you ever perform a dance?  What kind of dancing do you like to do?

Dancing can be a fun part of life.  When you are young you might just bounce or sway or swirl around in response to music.  As you get older you may be taught different ways to dance.  You may attend dances where you either wait for someone to ask you to dance or you take the chance to ask someone to dance and risk being rejected.  Perhaps you danced at your wedding.  Maybe you continue to dance whenever you feel like it or maybe you go out to dance.  Dancing may be an important part of your story.

 

Over the years I've learned a lot of different dances. I still don't feel really coordinated. I've often stepped on toes. When I first learn a dance I often go the opposite direction of everyone else. But dancing is fun. Even though I'm not really graceful, I still enjoy dancing. Write down your experiences about dancing. Write down how good you felt you were. Did people stand back to watch you dance? Did you win a dance contest? Write down about special dances and whether you had a date. Write down whether you stepped on the toes of that girl or boy you finally got up the courage to dance with. Write down what dance steps you learned and what kind of music you danced too. Just think how much fun it would be to know how your grandparents or great grandparents danced. Maybe your grandchildren and great grandchildren will enjoy reading about your dancing.
swing dancer with poodle skirt and saddle shoes canvas bags by mike_jory
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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.

 

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