I have a dilemma which I haven't solved as of yet, perhaps someone can help me think of some ideas. It's related to recording an honest, uplifting personal history for posterity when there are lots of things in life (and the lives of family members) that are not positive. Does anyone have any ideas on this?
I love storytelling, and especially anecdotes. My old blog entries will attest to this, as well as my love of hyperbole. The StoryCorps project on NPR has always fascinated me, but I haven't had the, ahem, leisure time to really get into it. It would be great to somehow get involved.
And if I'm honest, I should admit there is a part of me that likes telling crazy stories about my family. They are interesting and seem to get a lot of attention. That can really appeal to the natural man. But there must be a balance. I don't want to just throw out a bunch of horrifying details about my life for shock effect, even if it's true. I also don't want to whitewash anything, because that is not honest. I've heard so many complaints about people who sweep things under the rug and pretend their lives are perfect to keep up appearances. Personally, I feel that if people want to do that, good for them. But I can't really bring myself to do that.
Advice?
I'll leave you with a completely not PC quote from my mother:
"Jimi Hendrix was black?? I just always thought he was really dirty."
