Have you ever thought about what you want to leave behind after you are gone, how you hope to be remembered? What part of your history is important enough to share with those you care about, those who will remain after you’re gone? What memories do you want to frame and have recalled and which ones are the most important ones to be shared, rather than allowing them to fade into a blurred past?

It may not be only the huge highlights of your life that you want to hang on to, but the ordinary days, your everyday life that’s so comfortable and familiar. Have you ever thought of writing your story, whether for public perusal or for your personal circle or just for yourself, so that you can see your life from a new perspective? Journals, autobiographies and memoirs are becoming more commonplace and hold the possibilities of touching both the writer and reader in ways that fiction does not. Real world problems, joys, challenges and growth, right there in black and white, to inspire and offer insight to others on similar journeys.

Where do you begin when articulating your story? Experts on memory say that we only truly remember highlights from past situations and because the mind does not like uncertainty, we fill in the rest with our own fictional narrative. Whether or not your remembering is 100% accurate, your experiences still bear telling. When considering what parts to share, it’s easiest to be superficial, but more impactful to go deep. When I have gone back and read the writings of my journalist father after his passing, it helped me to see him more richly, with his hopes and dreams, his pains and sorrows made real by his own telling.

Some people don’t know where to begin or how to start talking about their lives. Do you stick to saying where you were born, talk about your family history, upbringing, accomplishments, delights and regrets? Or can you go deeper, into your perceptions, dreams and the inner workings of you? I have kept journals since I was a teenager, words and art, doodling and list-making, and as I look back at my past self, it helps me see what an amazing journey I have been on!

If you feel moved to start writing, I have put together some ideas that might inspire you as you begin sharing your story:

1. Who are you? How do you see yourself?

2. How do you handle difficulties and what lessons have you learned from them?

3. What brings you fulfillment and satisfaction?

4. How has giving and receiving in your relationships impacted your life?

5. What talents, gifts and abilities have you developed and how do you share them?

6. What dreams do you have and how have those ideas guided your life?

7. What wisdom or understandings have you gained from your life experiences thus far?

Of course you can write about any aspect of your life experience, just do it. Choosing to chronicle your narrative, either in writing, recording your voice or creating a visual depiction will become a gift to someone in the future. Photographs, art, words and music all can support and fill out your story, making it real for the recipient. You might be surprised at what you learn about yourself as you begin this venture. There are classes and workshops to take if you need a push and a framework to work within. If the blank pages of those beautiful journals threaten you, and you worry about the quality of your entries, just get a composition notebook, or type onto your computer. The therapeutic effect of writing is astounding. You may have done it in the past, but now is the best time to start again.

Your life, no matter the simplicity or complexity, is an individual story that needs to be recorded. The big stuff as well as what seems every day humdrum, is the material for your book, whether it will ever be published or not. Seeing life framed in understanding and lessons learned creates a fulfillment that will last beyond your lifetime. That is a legacy.

Amy Martin, APRN, RhD, CH is the owner and director of Center of Healing Therapies in Waterford. She can be reached at (860) 443-0800 or amymartin@time4healing.com.