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| The original Piggly Wiggly Store, Memphis, Tennessee. The first self service grocery store, opened 1916. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
So far I've never lacked for ideas for this blog and I doubt if I ever would. As long as I live, new ideas will keep coming and now matter how much I write about my past I can't imagine ever running out of memories to write about. Even the memories I've already written about could be approached from a number of different angles. Ideas are not only everywhere, but they are infinite.
Why am I writing about this topic at this time? I'm just thinking. I'm pondering some of the things I might write about in blog posts to come. And since I'm on the topic, then let me ask you some questions about things that might get you to remembering your past. Maybe these will be some ideas you can use as well.
- What stores and other businesses can you remember from your youth that are no longer around?
- What was your favorite store to visit when you were a kid?
- Do you have many eating out experiences that you remember from childhood?
- What things did you typically spend money on when you had it?
- Did you go grocery shopping with your parents? Were you a help or more of a hindrance?
- Are there any products that you no longer see in stores that you miss?
- Did you have a hobby when you were younger and what types of purchases did you make to sustain your hobby?
- Was there a neighborhood business that was considered a hang-out for you and your peers?
- How has shopping changed in our age as compared to your youth?
I don't expect you to answer all of these questions in the comment section here, though you are certainly welcomed to if you like. Maybe one question resonates with you that you would like to discuss. Or maybe you'd like to use one or more of these topics on your own blog. If you do then please be sure to send me the link so I can read your responses.
I'll probably be hitting on a few of these ideas in weeks to come. Memoir can be anything that you remember. Sometimes memoir evolves from things you don't remember. That's when the research kicks in. What's the point of remembering the past? Maybe you can answer that one too.
I just assumed that no one would be interested in my memoirs so I rarely write about them. But we remember the past to keep it alive before it's totally forgotten. I belong to a Facebook group called 'If you grew up on Cape Cod you remember when...' and us 'old timers' really enjoy the photos and postcards that people post. Very few people remember that there was a kids' park called Storyland where the Cape Cod Mall was built in 1970s.
ReplyDeleteYes I do have memories of childhood places and things we used to do with friends. I would more likely use them in blogposts.
ReplyDeleteI'm always collecting ideas for future posts and keep a running list of ideas (ongoing).
Dear Lee, I'd like to respond to your final question: Why write a memoir? What I've discovered in writing my blog--Coming Home to Myself--which is an on-line memoir is that my life has been full and rich--rich with friendship and love. Writing about my life has also helped me come to peace with several events that had in some ways hampered my growth as a contented human being. So I believe memoirs can really help us find peace. Peace.
ReplyDeleteYour questions actually reminded me of all the products we used to see back when we were younger. Now there is less of a variety of products being advertised for the most part; characters like Mr. Whipple, Josephine the Plumber, and the Maytag repairman are gone. By and large replaced by stupidity, over-repeated fast food and diamond ads, and the occasional clever ad (like the car ads that play like movie trailers). I miss when being an ad exec was a TALENT.
ReplyDeleteHow has shopping changed?
ReplyDeleteWell, you never have to leave the house!
While I still go to a physical store for some things, I've not been in a book store since June 6,1998 (the day I pulled my computer out of the box and got online).
I'd ordered a book from the Barnes And Noble store at Christmas the year before that they had not gotten in-ordered it that day from Amazon and had it in less than a week.
Same thing for clothes-items that I know the style works for me, I simply buy online-no going to the store and finding that your size is not in stock.
For CD's....well you've seen the picture on my blog...the Internet certainly fueled that addiction!
A lot of stores from my youth are gone, and brick-and-mortar record stores are dying daily, and that saddens me, but the internet, while not as critical to my life as I remember President Clinton describing it,* it certainly brought a worldwide marketplace to our door.
Look at the industries it has wiped out (or is in the process of sending the way of the dinosaur)!
* Video rental stores-gone
* Record/CD stores-at death's door
* Bookstores-gasping their last breath
* The Post Office-brink of banruptcy (due to e-mail)
LC
*Remember Clinton thought an internet PC needed to be at every student's desk?
That was a move I feel is a big mistake. My experience as an adjunct professor was that students surfed the internet instead of paying attention in class)...and their grades showed it.
JoJo-- I think you are underestimating the value of your own memories. Mostly I don't think it comes down to how interesting your memories are as much as how interesting you make them. I'd like to hear more about Storyland. I can remember similar places when I was young.
ReplyDeleteDG -- The well of ideas should never run dry. It's a good idea to make a note of them as we think of them even if we never use them.
Dee -- I so agree with you. When someone tells me that nothing in their life is worth telling or remembering I totally disagree.
CW-- You're right. There were character actors who made successful careers out of toting products. Most of those types are gone now. We still have Flo from Progressive Insurance, but I'm not sure that's saying much.
Larry-- Bingo! Internet may have made shopping more convenient but it is killing location shopping where we can examine the products before us. It is sad, but a reality which I too am guilty of being a part of. You've brought up some of the topics I plan to look at eventually.
Lee
One hobby I had was stamp collecting. Do youngsters do it today? Sue
ReplyDeleteI collected stamps as a kid. Still have the collection. Haven't added to it in years.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy heartfelt memoirs of others and have also enjoyed putting many of my pleasant memories down in print. Unfortunately, this coming week is a time filled with anniversaries of times that fill my nightmares. Not all memories are good. This is a time period that is very difficult for me, one where it's best to try and forget, yet almost every detail is as vivid as though it is happening today.
ReplyDeleteHi Lee - we used to get our meat from the village .. had to walk though. Then our bread we needed to drive to the bakers, then the other direction to the small grocery store ...
ReplyDelete... we grew our own veg and in fact had some meat on hand .. chickens and for a while pigs ...
I remember a fair amount - but writing a memoir the families are interesting .. I'm not! But who knows .. cheers Hilary