Just listening
When we think about our lives, we remember all the fascinating things we've done and seen, places we've been, adventures we've had. If we just bear in mind the people we meet have just as many memories and wonderful tales to tell if someone is interested enough to listen.
I learned so much about my little home town as a kid by simply visiting and talking with the old people around town. Many of them had lived their entire lives there, and their stories were never written down. Now they're lost forever except what little I remember now and then.
In the large scheme of things, none of that would have made it into the history books, but history books deal with the big, world changing events. Most of what I knew shaped a town, and that shaped the people growing up there, ultimately shaping all that those people touched as they passed through life.
Ripples. Everyone's life creates ripples in tomorrow, some big and some small, and everyone has their stories to tell.
I learned so much about my little home town as a kid by simply visiting and talking with the old people around town. Many of them had lived their entire lives there, and their stories were never written down. Now they're lost forever except what little I remember now and then.
In the large scheme of things, none of that would have made it into the history books, but history books deal with the big, world changing events. Most of what I knew shaped a town, and that shaped the people growing up there, ultimately shaping all that those people touched as they passed through life.
Ripples. Everyone's life creates ripples in tomorrow, some big and some small, and everyone has their stories to tell.
posted by Fish-2 at 12:25 PM
3 Comments:
Everybody has a book inside of them, but not everyone can write books.
I've always loved listening to the stories of my elders. As of late elders are getting harder to find but that's because I'm becoming one! *sigh* Anyhoo, older people have a lot to offer the young. The trick is getting them to listen!
For some reason, Fish, that makes me think of Mark Twain's quote about growing old and how 'You'll regret the things you didn't do more than what you did' or sumtin' like that.
I had the good fortune to spend a few hours with my only living elder on Monday. He's one of those ageless 89 year olds. His doctor said he had a lot of 60 year old patients that would love to swap bodies with uncle. Unfortunately he looks younger than I do. For many years he was a high school principal, and still gets visits from many of his students. He works in his wood shop making wooden doll beds he gives to grandmothers for their granddaughters, tends his lawn and flower beds, fishes from his dock since he lives on a lake, takes care of the house, goes to church, bakes cookies for shut-ins, and at alumni banquets it takes him an hour to reach his table because of the hugs, handshakes and conversation. He paid his dues in the Pacific in WW-II. Dynamic gentleman.
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