Celebrating My Leap Year Birthday

This article will be a slight departure from what you normally see here at the Legacy Recorder. I recently asked a dear friend to help me keep things going on the writing side of things. When we were talking about what’s happening for the month, my leap year birthday inevitably came up. Her suggestion was to do an article on me and revisit some of the things that I'm dreaming about for Legacy and were the inspiration for Legacy came from. I thought it was a wonderful idea and immediately asked for her help. I know better than most that it is really hard to write about yourself. 

The Legacy Lady’s Leap Year Birthday

A fun fact about The Legacy Lady is her day of birth. She was born on February 29th and is a leap year baby. You can read more about that here. We are once again celebrating a leap year and Gael, so we are taking the time today to get to know more about our Legacy Lady. Check out the interview below and drop a comment if there is something else you want to know that wasn’t covered! 

The Interview

Where were you born, and where have you lived since then? 

I was born in San Francisco and have lived in various parts of Phoenix. I currently hang out in a small town north of Pittsburgh.

Wow! That’s some very different areas. What are the common threads you noticed in all of those places?

Getting people together on a regular basis is a tricky business. Getting them talking in an intentional way is even harder. Not that we always need to be having heavy-hitting conversations but I like knowing that everyone walks away feeling better or having something they are working towards. When it comes to family stuff, that is sometimes just knowing that there will be a next time to see each other and share space.

Since we are celebrating your birthday, what is your favorite birthday memory from growing up?

There was an Italian restaurant in Phoenix that I loved going to as a kid. We didn’t eat out very often and part of our birthday celebration was choosing where we went out to eat.

You have such a lovely perspective of memories. Is that what drove you to start The Legacy Recorder? 

That is definitely part of it. I’ve always had a unique way of seeing things and I think that has helped me design systems and processes that can be implemented at almost every level to bring storytelling to more people.

You’ve recently released 52 Ways to Write Your Story in a Year. Although the title seems straightforward, can you tell us a little bit more about this new journal? 

It is a DIY journal. So there aren’t topic-specific prompts on each page. Most of the pages have dot journal sections and a section with the Legacy Storytelling Method questions written out with space to answer them. The first few pages of the journal walk you through how I envisioned you using the journal, complete with a list of prompts to get you started. I also encourage you to use the journal however best suits your needs (including an optional doorstop application).

Not long ago, I listened to a 5-minute story scripts demo and was really impressed with how it flowed. Who would benefit the most from those guided questions? 

These are geared towards people who still have memories of their lives. Some of the scripts won’t be applicable to everyone and you may need to adapt on the fly. They are written so that even if a resident doesn’t have that particular experience or memory, you can still engage them in a conversation.

What are you excited about on the Legacy horizon? 

I’m looking forward to having more journals and workbooks coming out. Additionally, I am committing to support people in the industry of caring for others, exclusively. 

Thank you so much for taking the time to share a little more about your life and Legacy with us today. What is one thing you want your readers to remember? 

That it’s never too late to start a conversation with someone or about someone. And you don’t have to be a good writer or conversationalist to be a good listener.

What now?

Looking for that thing to help you keep your storytellers engaged and talking? For the writers in your care, this journal will keep them talking for a good long while. Encourage them (if they can) to reach out via phone or video to family members and share the memories they write about.

This journal was designed for storytellers in their sunset years who are ready to write about and share their memories. Simple to use and elegant enough to keep around to remind you of them long after they are gone.