Sorry I’ve taken so long to reply to this.
I’m finding myself in the same quandary about life. Trying to reduce the business/political/economic/security stress as much as possible. To effect that, I’ve really cut back on the news. I hate to stick my head in the sand like an ostrich, but I’ve found I can know all I need to with much less Fox and CNN.......without having it drummed into my consciousness so repetively. Less time on FR, too.
I’m spending more time on walks, lunches with friends, entertaining my grandchildren, and Netflix old movies. I’ve also been volunteering at my Dad’s assisted living facility two mornings a week. I started a Scrabble Club there. What fun that is.....and it is so good for the senior citizens. We have one lady, a retired professor, who has rather severe dementia.......until she plays Scrabble. She absolutely comes alive during the games and is incredibly sharp. She beats everyone, including me.....and I’m no slouch. Her daughter told me that the games are helping her tremendously with cognition and awareness. I’m trying to get some of them interested in writing short stories about their lives. That project is showing some promise, too. I really look forward to my time there. I just might have found a new purpose to my own life.
All this is just my way of saying that there can be bright spots in our lives, if we just open up to the possibilities and positives, shut out the negatives......and give of ourselves.
>>>I’m trying to get some of them interested in writing short stories about their lives.<<<
Writing is great if they will do it...
I have found that if you can get two or three involved, and at least one of them who can use a recorder, they can really bring out some interesting stories and family histories.
I got my grandmother one, and she was more at ease recording her music. She would always say - well, I don’t know what to tell you, but let me play you some songs that we used to sing as kids.
Later on, I got her with her sister and they filled hours of tape talking about family, business, political and all kinds of fantastically interesting things.
There is even an organization that preserves oral histories like that...
I got to learn all about my ggrandfather introducing Woman’s Suffrage legislation in Maryland when he was a Legislator - (and the opposition he faced) All about the canning plant he had on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay and all about their shipping fresh and canned goods by steam boat to Baltimore.
Even about some people I also knew. Like Eb (I can just remember him, but I remember his wife more as she outlived him by about 15 years - and always baked the best pies) Eb had been a drummer boy as a freed slave during the Civil War on the march to Atlanta, and stories of camp meetings, revivals, and much much more.
Tremendously fascinating, and they really seem to enjoy passing on their memories too. Knowing their experiences may help someone today...
I placed those tapes in the State Archives.
I am glad to see you checked in.
Sometimes, it seems that God nudges us in a new direction and we only need to follow the path he points to.
I am not surprised that you have found a new interest and that you found it with older folks.
Now you can write a book, I know you have a lot to write about.
May God bless and guide you, always.