COVID-19: Writing Your History in Real Time

When I interview clients about their life stories, I focus on the unique aspects of their development. Their childhood, their family, their romances, their jobs. We talk about the little moments that defined them and how they grew into the people they are today. These moments are the backbone of every life story and we spend many interview hours discussing them.

But there is always more.

None of us exists in a bubble and so we also talk about the world around us. I ask my clients how their lives were impacted by the Depression, the World Wars, the assassination of JFK, the civil rights movement.

The chapters that place my client in a moment of time allow younger generations to connect to the past and to their loved one in a way that would not otherwise be possible. Sure, today’s youth may know that Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the MLB. But did they know that their grandfather got a black eye from a schoolyard fight when a classmate argued that “[African Americans] shouldn’t play baseball?”

That makes it real.

Which brings me to this …

We are now living through a major global catastrophe. The coronavirus has disrupted our lives in a way that none of us would have imagined. People we know and love are dying. Once-thriving businesses are shutting down. We are wearing masks and gloves wherever we go. We are bombarded with terrifying messages every day.

It is a very different world than it was three months ago.

So, my advice to you is this – write.

Write about your thoughts and feelings on this pandemic. Discuss – in very specific terms – how it has affected your daily life, your attitudes toward work and money, your views on health, your relationships. Do you have new worries? New priorities?

How is this crisis changing you?

Everything is painfully fresh right now and not only does research tell us that writing is healing, the life story professional in me knows that writing your journey through this time will benefit future generations. This period will be discussed in history books for sure.

But only you can make it personal.

Please let me know if you want my help.