65. Write your own story

You may have seen this photo on our website (walkandtalkat87.com) in the “About Us” page. It was taken a few years ago and shows my grandson, Willem, asking me a question about the book which we were reading together, when I visited his school on Grandparents’ Day.

I, myself, have six grandchildren and one great-grandchild who live in the Netherlands and Sue and I have three grandchildren, including Willem, who live close-by in Queensland.

Despite the distance, Sue and I have frequent contact with my Dutch children and grandchildren. We have, in the past, visited them at regular intervals in The Netherlands and have also enjoyed holidays with them in Asia and elsewhere.  They have been to see us a number of times in Australia as well. These times that we have spent together were precious and we have quite a few photobooks to remember them by.

The wonderful thing is that now, since I started writing blog posts in July 2023, we have become even closer as a family. Our children and grandchildren read the posts and respond to them with their own comments. Moreover, my brother, sisters and other family members overseas and in Australia have joined them as regular readers as well.

By sharing my stories with them I know that my family are getting to know me better. We’re more “in tune” with each other and now that I’m very old, this makes me happy and more settled and content.  What has happened since I started my blog is quite remarkable. Both Sue and I love the fact that we are in regular contact with the younger members of our family. 

The actual process of writing about my life experiences and the environment here in Queensland, as well as the friendships I have made and my walking experiences here, have all given me much personal enjoyment and satisfaction. So much so that I would like to encourage you, my older readers, to experience the same, by starting to write your own short stories.

You and I have lived our early lives in a world that was very different from how it is today, and your experiences are worth remembering, recording and sharing. If you have grandchildren or interested loved ones at any level of the family, they will value being able to read your stories. It will help them to understand you, and perhaps even themselves, that much better.

Years ago, people wrote letters to family members and to friends to maintain or renew contact, letters which were probably often kept by their recipients to be read again and again and to be shared with others. Today, letter writing seems to have gone out of fashion. Social media have taken over. The problem for people in my age bracket is, however, that many are not comfortable with using social media. Almost all of us have difficulty in adapting to this change in our “socialising environment”. Consequently, many old people are no longer communicating enough with the younger generation. They are becoming isolated and lonely.

Fortunately, there are some ways to help us tackle isolation. In my own case it began with walking. As it says on my website:

“Four days a week, my alarm wakes me at 5:20am. I step out of bed, drink a glass of water, don my hat and walking shoes, and make my way down to the path skirting the shore of Moreton Bay as the sun rises. With islands visible in the far distance, a good and level path, sub-tropical weather and historic architecture, I could not wish for a better place to walk.”

“In my walks, I have met other regulars, some of whom come from far and wide to spend time on the timber boardwalk of the Shorncliffe Pier. Queenslanders, you’ll find, are very friendly people, so I often stop to listen to people’s stories—tales about the pier, the weather, their dogs, and the sea creatures around us.”

“This is why I call my website “walkandtalkat87.com”. Walking and talking has been good for me, physically and mentally, and writing about it, in the form of a blog, has added a further dimension to my emotional and mental wellness. I have found the process of writing enjoyable and healing. It has taken me to a deeper level of thinking and reflection.”

I was 87 when I began my blog, so this proves that one is never too old to start. Some of my friends have told me that they don’t want to start a blog because they have nothing interesting to write about! My own view is that this is unlikely to be true. Every life is interesting and any information about it is of interest to those who are close to us and those who follow us when we’re no longer here. I have, for example, often wondered how my parents met each other, what they thought and felt during their life and what their challenges were. I will never know because they did not leave any records. Leaving something of yourself behind is worthwhile and always of great interest to close family and friends.

Some friends have said that they don’t know how to write. My answer to that is that if you can talk, chances are that you can write as well. It’s often preferable and easier, and perfectly acceptable, to use an informal (conversational) style of writing. Those who are likely to read it don’t expect literary masterpieces from us. They don’t focus on how well we write! They are just interested to know more about us.

It may not always be a good idea to try to begin the process of writing by attempting to produce an autobiography, covering all aspects of our lives. That would be, for many of us, “a bridge too far”. It may be better to start with trying to write some short stories. They can be just as interesting and informative to your readers and would be easier to manage. It’s worth doing! When you have expressed yourself in writing, you have created something that will last and, with time, will become more and more valuable.

This is why I’m happy to encourage you to join me and to start writing your own stories and your own memoires, and to share small parts of your own life history with the younger generation. Believe me, once you start, you are likely to find it most enjoyable and rewarding! If you’re old, like I am, you may notice that it’s also good for your emotional and mental wellness.

It will give your children and your grandchildren something to remember you by and some part of you will live on after you have gone. 

O.P.

P.S. The next post, “Terror in Tehran” (Part 1) will be published on Sunday 16 February 2025. It follows on from post 58, which focussed on my early visits to Iran.