With the help of AI, I found a menagerie of events on this day in history. AI is suspicious to me because, in my time, a writer could not write or speak about any topic or detail without providing a reputable source. Even Wikipedia was frowned upon. I feel a little twinge of guilt if and when I share information from my good friend Google.

But today, all is different—it seems we live in an era of free-for-all, which brings me to my soapbox topic: one I never give up on —STORIES. Stories straight from the person—pure gold.

On Easter Sunday, I was gifted with serendipity and ended up in a unique fire truck with a former client. We didn’t recognize each other from our faces. Even sharing our first names did not turn on a lightbulb. But when I asked if he had a family, his words immediately materialized into a full-color movie.

It was a moment.

His story was safely stored in my mind.

I had not stored the faces, the names, or the dates, but I had the story of what brought his wife and him to reach out to me for help many years ago.

In these times of turmoil in our world, I get grounded by listening to a podcast where the commentator uses stories to make sense of what is happening today and connecting it with history.

I’ve never been good at remembering names and dates, so my history grades didn’t improve my grade-point average. I needed stories.

I needed to hear and read about the people—what they felt, feared, celebrated, and dreamed about. What was their biggest challenge? What brought them hope? For example, what I know about the Civil War comes from Gone With the Wind because it was told as a story.

My point: Tell your story. I usually encourage you to write your story so it can be passed down to the people you care about. But today, I’m suggesting, if you want your history preserved, share your story verbally.

The client I was gifted on Easter Sunday reinforced the value of telling our stories. Sure, I took detailed notes when they came to counseling, but those file folders were shredded ten years after our last contact. Their story never left me, and never will. Stories are more than facts and details; they are emotions. Historical details share the spotlight with how it made us feel. Details + emotions = rich history.

So tell your stories. We all have millions. Some are hilarious, some are tragic, but most are just about daily life.

Offer gems of your legacy by allowing past emotions to surface. Then, tell someone and enrich both your lives.

Until the next time: Live while you live