By Sean Dolan, Site Supervisor
The Best Day of My Life So Far at The Renaissance Collaborative
Chicago, IL
What does it mean to have a successful Best Day of My Life So Far storytelling group? I initially thought that the success of our group (here at TRC Senior Village) would be measured by the number of participants joining us each week. The more the better! Alas, as time has elapsed, I now feel that such success is not The Best Day “way.” Despite our modest group size, our core participants are dedicated to the process of writing and sharing their stories. They especially value the time they spend together and the opportunity it affords them to sift through their lifetime of stories. Their endless enthusiasm and eagerness to give of themselves even propelled me to keep the group going (despite having consternations about the group’s sustainability) after our first couple of sessions! And such spiritedness is the true measure of success!
Stroud (one participant’s “pen name”) is an example of a senior whose life has been transformed by The Best Day program. She is the mother of 15 kids (and has raised countless grandchildren). For all of her life, Stroud has given so freely of herself to her family (and those around her). During a batch of sessions this past year, though, she had to undergo treatment for cancer. While she struggled to openly receive help from others during her recovery (as she was so accustomed to tending to others’ needs), Stroud found comfort and solace in the storytelling process:
“To me writing is therapy. There are so many things to get off my chest—things I don’t want to talk about but would be glad to write about. To share with others gives you insight or another approach to handling a problem. From my writing group, I have received knowledge I was totally unaware of which became very helpful to me.”
At the start of the second round of eight sessions, Alderman Pat Dowell surprised our group with a visit! We weren’t expecting such company! She stated, though, that she was so intrigued by the concept of The Best Day program (and had to stop by)! Alderman Dowell was equally impressed that such novel programming was taking place in her ward! At the start of the session, she stated that she was just going to observe… Low and behold, though, she became inspired by the process and was compelled to write a story of her own! Such an action indicates that she was truly moved and can only help to further bolster The Best Day program as it continues to move the needle in connecting people (across different generations).
From a personal perspective, my life has been transformed by The Best Day program due to the fact that I have witnessed first-hand the power of storytelling (and how much it means to seniors)! For example, one dedicated participant, Ms. G., love to reminisce about when she was younger (so much so that she writes about just that almost every week)! The fact that this program exists then provides her with the opportunity to fondly look back on a part of her life! She gets so much joy from reflecting on that time in her life! I then am able to share in that joy! And how can you beat that?
As other groups join in on the fun, I encourage everyone to keep fighting the good fight! Keep pushing through (even if you encounter some roadblocks such as group size!) as the real value of this program can be found in your members and what it means to them!