127. A Joyful Walk down Memory Lane |愉悅的在記憶廊道漫步
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 11.8.2021
People have said that memory is a string of moments and images. We all have unique and private memories to reminisce about and share with family and friends. But with fading memories and busy daily schedules, it is difficult to find time to share our life stories with kids and grandkids. Last year, we got a wonderful gift from our daughters and are sharing our stories through a “StoryWorth” membership.
As StoryWorth members, our daughters select one question every week that is suggested by the company’s website, and my wife and I answer it individually. They are simple questions such as: How did you meet? How did you get your first house? Did you ever fight with your parents? It may take us half an hour or one hour to answer it and submit it for safekeeping. At the end of 1 or 2 years, we’ll have a book printed with these questions and answers. This is sort of like writing a memoir, but with much less formality or the stress of writer’s block.
The longer we get into the routine of answering these questions, the more we enjoy it. The weekly questions jolt our memories of our childhood, parents, friends, and various events which have almost faded away. It is also fun to reminisce with my wife about our dating days and the time we spent with siblings and parents in Taiwan. Through the StoryWorth exercises, we are walking down memory lane together and reliving our younger days.
Of course, the most rewarding experience is to share our past with our daughters and grandkids. To them, our experience in frugality, education, fashion, toys, and games is so strange. It is like it’s from a different world. The most common reactions we get are “Wow, unbelievable,” “I had no idea it was like that,” or “Was this for real?” It is really fun to compare our two worlds, which are decades and thousands of miles apart. Through this type of Q&A and dialogue, old and young people in different generations are able to communicate, compare, and understand one another better.
This indeed is a very enjoyable walk down memory lane with our loved ones. I look forward to the compilation of our storybook which will be a treasured gift to our next generations.
愉悅的在記憶廊道漫步 (2021/11/08)
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
人們說記憶是一連串瞬間與影像的連結。我們都有自己獨特的記憶廊道，能夠回憶，也能分享給親友們。但隨著記憶的消退與忙碌的日常，變得很難抽出時間跟兒孫們分享自己的生活故事。去年，從女兒那邊得到了一份很珍貴的禮物；讓我能夠以”StoryWorth”的會員身分，分享自己的故事。
作為StoryWorth的會員，女兒每周都可以從網站上的建議中，選擇一個問題，讓我這個老爸跟老媽回答。其實都是些簡單的問題，像是”你們是怎麼認識的？”、”你是怎麼得到你的第一棟房子的？”、”你跟你自己的爸媽吵過架嗎？”等等。我跟我太太可能需要用半個小時、或一個小時才能答覆、發送。在1~2年後，我們就可以把這些問題跟答覆的內容出版成一本書，。這有點像是回憶錄，但沒那麼正式、也沒有寫作瓶頸之類的壓力。
我們進入這些問答的经历越久，就越喜歡它。每個禮拜的問題，讓我們重新發現，那已經快要忘光的，自己對小時候、父母、朋友以及很多事情的記憶。我跟老婆一起回憶我們過去約會的日子，以及我們在台灣跟兄弟姊妹們、還有爸媽在一起度過的快樂時光。透過StoryWorth的作習，我們一起走在記憶的小道上，重溫彼此年輕的日子。
當然，最有意義的經歷，就是跟女兒們、以及孫子們分享我們的過去。對他們來說，我們在節儉、教育、流行、玩具、和遊戲方面的過往，對他們是如此的陌生、就像是來自於不同的世界。我們最常得到的反應就是，”哇，真是很難相信耶”、”我不知道是這樣的”、”這是真的嗎？”；比較兩個世代相隔數十年、也相隔數千英里的世界，真的很有趣。透過這些問答與對話，讓不同年齡的世代間，能夠更好地交流、比較，和理解。
這的確是一次能跟我們自己所愛的人，一起沿著記憶廊道漫步的愉快旅程。我很期待我們這本故事書的編纂，那會是給下一代的珍貴禮物。
你是否也想试一试？
