Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Telling A Life Story...


In the past 2 days, I have found old high-school and college friends on Facebook. People I haven't thought about in years have instantly popped back into my life. Whenever I talk to someone I haven't seen in 7 or more years, I always wonder how to sum up what has happened in my life during the absense. I know I can't include the many intricate details of everything that has occurred in my life since I last saw him/her but sometimes I wonder, what else can I throw in besides what I do for a living and if I am married or single.

This got me to thinking about memoirs and if I had to write mine today, what would I include? Would I talk about the day my parents got divorced and how empty the house felt once my Dad was gone? Would I mention moving 6 times in one year with my Mom in an effort to get cheaper rent? Would I write about the day reading out loud became a challenge? Would I include pieces about when I lost my virginity and how unfulfilling it was?

I would have to throw in travelling to Chicago with my Grandmother every Summer on Amtrak and relishing every last bit of the trip. I would have to mention getting first place for my Division in the State Spelling Bee competition at the ripe old age of 6. I would have to mention how I cried as the cab drove my Mother away from my dorm back to the airport at the start of my Freshman year. I would have to mention using a Hawaiian girl's Eurorail pass while trekking through Europe and not being caught and thrown off the train.

Telling a life story is simple but not easy. We pick the moments that define us but as I take a mental stroll through memory lane, I realize all of the details have their little place in the memoir.

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