Saved through Storytelling

www.tewealth.com

As a millennial in a new city, struggling to find meaningful work, I recently turned to volunteering as a way of filling my time. I discovered The Best Day of My Life So Far, an initiative that began in Philly and has since moved nationwide, whose mission is to end senior isolation through intergenerational storytelling. As an English BA (and a blogger), storytelling obviously appealed to me, and seniors were a group with whom I hadn't worked previously. Now, a few months into weekly attending, I can honestly say this is not just a way to fill my time, but is usually the highlight of my week.

The seniors have so much to say and teach! We all write for about a half hour and then share what we have written; it amazes me the humor, insight, and sadness we all have to share. Particularly, I am struck by everyone's openness and willingness to tell his or her story. Especially in a city where it is the expected norm to stare straight ahead and make no contact, it is so refreshing to enter a room each week with near strangers and form a supportive community.

While Best Day of My Life So Far is definitely fulfilling its mission to help seniors, it just as equally helps its young volunteers. Everyone faces isolation at various points in life. In A Picture Is Worth..., a publication of high school students' life stories by Arch Street Press, so many of the students report loneliness, trauma, and isolation. Several of the high schoolers come from complicated households with parents missing, siblings separated, and drugs and violence on the streets. The charter school set up by I-LEAD for them in a way functions like The Best Day of My Life So Far. It gives them a chance to socialize and learn in a healthy and stimulating environment, with intergenerational support to set an example of life beyond their present problems and challenges.

For myself, a lonely job searcher who sits alone with a computer for most of the day, isolation and its mental effects are a looming threat. The Best Day of My Life So Far connects me with a community. Whether that community is comprised of my peers, the elderly, or younger kids, what is important is that I interact with it. Modernity is isolating with its increasing emphasis on technology and waning emphasis on personal contact. We all need to make efforts to fight against this isolation and connect with each other, at every age, to learn, teach, and laugh.