The Tip:
As you share stories, what you are really doing is having meaningful conversations and spending quality time together. Soon, you will discover THE Ultimate Best Day Secret: the the "real" story you are sharing is the one that is unfolding of your growing friendship with your older bud. So go ahead and celebrate the milestones of your friendship. This can include the day of your first conversation, or the day your bud tells you a heart-baring story for the first time (which may or may not be during your first conversation), or the day your bud gives you permission to write down his or her stories, or the day he or she picks up a pen to write down him/herself, or the day you open up your ongoing conversations to a larger group (this could be the older bud's family). All of these are worth celebrating and remembering because they mark how far you have come, together. There is no need to do anything spectacular or spend any money. Just snap a photo and post about it on your own social media pages, to record it in the virtual timeline of your life while inspiring your own friends.
The Moment:
The moment that inspired this tip? Well, it's tomorrow! Tomorrow I will be attending one of our satellite groups' 2nd anniversary party and am SO EXCITED! In our original group, we have celebrated 6 anniversaries and are getting closer to our 7th. Every anniversary is not only a milestone in itself but also a time to acknowledge all the big and small milestones that has happened throughout the year.
The Story:
Thought this would be a good time to "dust off" and freshen up a blog post that I wrote on our original group's 3rd anniversary on Sept 24, 2012…
3 years ago today, this project was born.
It needed a name.
The Best Day of My Life So Far were the only words big enough to encompass the positive spirit of my grandma, and the deep joy her stories and friendship make me feel. I had started calling my grandma on the phone in 2006, at the age of 25. On these phone calls, she would tell me stories from her past, opening up to me about her deepest hopes, fears and dreams that she had never expressed before. I wanted to share this amazing experience with people all around me, old and young - so I started a storytelling group blocks away from my house, together with a blog, and called the project, The Best Day of My Life So Far.
What I didn’t know was that this string of little words are even more massive than I realized, stretchier by the day to welcome more stories, more lives, more friendships. I didn’t know how many people this project would soon connect - and I mean truly, emotionally connect - from older adult storytellers to their families, to volunteers and readers of all ages worldwide. Turns out we were never just collecting stories. Turns out this project is the ultimate intergenerational story – of strangers coming together from diverse backgrounds to become one community, one family joined by deep joy and love – and you and I are all a part of it.
What better time than our shared 3rd birthday, to bring back 30 of the most memorable moments from our shared story… so far? Click Here to celebrate each and every one of them!
Want more tips and inspiration? Get them Here!