Connecting With You

Today I flew to Southern California to take my elderly mother to visit a cardiologist.

Last week, my mom was diagnosed with an "irregular heartbeat." When the doctor delivered this news, my heart almost stopped.

Not so for my mother.

She calmly and firmly insisted that the reason her heartbeat was irregular that day was that it was exactly 12 years ago that my father had passed away. She was sad and, in her opinion, it was only natural that her heart would be having trouble that day.

Further, since her doctor couldn't bring my dad back, my mother really had no use for any medication he might prescribe as it wouldn't address the root cause of her heart problem.

Fortunately, though, my mother was willing to take the medication, if it would make my sister and me feel better. It did.

And, today, she was willing to have me take her to the cardiologist for the same reason. Also, she's lonely and any reason to have me visit is fine with her.

So, what does this have to do with storytelling?

Well, my mother has talked forever about writing her memoir. But, she has a real hard time, like many people, making herself sit down to write.

I hope my mom has many more years ahead, but I also know that some things shouldn't be put off and this is one. It's something that's important to her and also to my sister and me.

However, I realize that it's not going to happen unless I nudge the process along.

So, after we left the doctor's office, I drove to the local senior center where I assumed they probably had memoir-writing classes. They don't.

So, back at my mom's home, I began searching around online for classes and tools. There's a lot out there.

I was struck by the realization of what a terrific tool the Internet is for seniors, especially those who live alone, and people who are either homebound or who have difficulty getting out--due to disabilities, safety concerns, or other barriers.

As the population ages, more and more people are going to be in this situation. The Internet offers a way to break down the isolation that typically goes hand-in-hand with aging, especially in the US.

In essence, no longer does aging need to be synonymous with loneliness and isolation.

And now for the story-related website of the day: check out the StoryCorps project.

Know a good story-related website? Please share it here.