Musing: My biggest challenge yet

I'm about to profile someone who was recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's.

This isn't for the newspaper; very few people will ever read it. And it will be the most important piece of writing I've ever done.

I am honoured to have the chance to share this person's story: to hear about how her life has unfolded, to give her a chance to reflect on its themes and lessons, and then to weave a tapestry of words that reflects who she is and present it to her.

I hope the process will be valuable for her. I also hope that someday, when she can no longer tell her story, a caregiver or family member will be able to use what they learn from the profile to connect more fully with her. If so, I will have done my job.

Musing: Rejection

I’ve been turned down a lot lately. Especially by men.

I’m still getting many recommendations for profile subjects, but when I call to propose the idea, I often hear, “No, I’d rather not.”

The funny thing is, many of those who decline to be interviewed tell me they read the Muskoka Mosaic profiles every week and enjoy them.

I do understand the desire for privacy, and I respect each person’s right to decide whether they want to ‘put themselves out there,’ but after two years of hearing “yes” almost 100 per cent of the time, I find this trend puzzling.

Maybe it’s not a trend. Maybe it’s just coincidence. Time will tell.

Musing: People who have come alive

American author, philosopher, theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman said, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.”

This has become more apparent to me since I started profiling community members for the Forester. The people I find most inspiring aren’t those who have been successful in the traditional definition of the word, but those who truly love what they are doing.

They have come alive, and their enthusiasm (Greek for "the god within") makes its mark on the world in large and small ways.

People like that, if you look for them, are more common than you might think.

Musing: The things we don't know

There’s so much we don’t know about each other.

I’ve had the pleasure of profiling several people I consider to be good friends, people with whom I’ve shared so many conversations and experiences that I thought I could probably write their profiles without interviewing them. We sat down for interviews anyway, because if nothing else it was a good excuse to spend some time together.

I learned so much.

We think we know our friends and family, but how often do we set aside our mental story of who they are and ask them about the experiences they’ve had and what those experiences have meant to them? How often do we ask about their hopes and goals and what matters most to them?

Try it. I have a feeling you’ll be as surprised and delighted as I was.

Musing: Why would you want to interview me?

The most common reaction I get when I contact people and ask to interview them is, “Why would you want to interview me? My life isn’t very interesting.”

Oh, but it is. No one else has experienced exactly what you have. No one else has exactly the same interests and gifts. Every life is important, and every story is worth telling.

As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “What you do may seem insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.”

Musing: Life collecting as a practice

What started as a job has become a practice for me.

Each week, no matter what else is going on in my life, I interview a community member and write a profile for the Huntsville Forester. Slowly, this practice is changing me, making me more open and conscious.

I come away from interviews feeling different. Sometimes I’m inspired, sometimes touched, sometimes grateful. Always I’m present. Really listening to someone’s story makes me step outside my own head and recognize how we are all connected.

Writing the profiles deepens and broadens that feeling of connection as I sit quietly, hold the people in my mind and heart and do my best to capture who they are and what they are about in less than 700 words. Condensing the themes and lessons of a life like that makes me focus on what is truly important.

I am grateful to all the people who have shared their lives with me so far for reminding me to keep an eye on the big picture and to appreciate my own moment-by-moment experiences. After all, many moments make a life.