Personal Historian

The year has certainly been one for the history books and one which you can help write the history of, even if just for your family members to recall what life was like living through a pandemic, murder hornets, wildfires, and the fight for civil justice. As a new school year begins, stretching our year of uncertainty into a third season, keep in mind that it is not too late to stop and assemble a personal or family recollection of this time in history. Many of us have taken plenty of photos, posted to social media, sent texts and emails, or even written short passages in journals about the pandemic experience, as well as our reaction to the myriad of other events that have taken place, from derechos to hurricanes to protests. Locally, we have even seen some more minor, but unusual events as well, from snow squalls in May to the recent earthquake that shook central New Jersey. These mementoes and memories can be saved in various ways as a reference for future generations to explore or for children to look back upon this unique time. There might even be collective community collections made in the future of this time that these recollections could become part of, either as displays or articles marking the anniversary of this year ten, twenty, or fifty years in the future. Below are some tips if you would like to put together some form of keepsake for your family records.

Look At What You Have Already Collected

Consider taking time to collect some of the items you already have produced during this time. Look back on the camera roll on your phone, your social media feeds, texts, and email. Look for letters or cards you may have sent our received. At the time they may have felt like just a quick exchange with grandma or a co-worker, but if you look closely you may see that you shared how you felt or recounted an event or news. All of these stories, no matter how short, are a gold mine for future generations that may want to know what it was like to live during this time. Gather them and assemble them on paper, as well as keep an electronic archive. Take time to print out pictures to save with your written memories. Other items you may have kept include printed news articles, virtual event fliers, and other 2020-specific objects – think about keeping your favorite mask when this is all over. 

Photos of scenes from your neighborhood can help illustrate the mood of the country. 

Even quick photos posted to social media can reflect the reality of living during the time of COVID-19.

 Even though photos of people wearing masks at events illustrate the time, oddball ones of pets or objects showing masks and other PPE are unique and capture how pervasive they have become in everyday life.

Unique objects may reflect virtual events or events that sadly did not take place.

Write A Personal History

Some of you may keep journals and are already ahead of the game on this, but it is never too late to take time and reflect on how you are feeling now. Especially if you collected your ephemeral items as noted above, you can look at those to piece together a retrospective of how you felt over time and reflect on that now to see how your feeling may have changed – it is important to convey any fears, hopes, or opinions you had and how they compare to what you are feeling now. If you have children, this is a good exercise to teach them about how we research history, that it is often about more than just the facts as to what happened during a time period – the way society functioned and the way the people living in that society felt about and coped with the event are just as important a part. For future generations, it makes the historical event relatable if they can tap into the thoughts and feelings of people who lived during the time.

Try Your Hand At Oral History

Gather around your kitchen table, fire pit, or backyard picnic table and record a discussion you have with family and friends about what you think you will remember the most about this time. Again, take time to reflect on certain memories you have, maybe even something as mundane sounding as how you found out about school going online or the search for that elusive webcam for work Zoom sessions - all add to presenting an authentic collective recollection of this time. You can record either audio or video. It is also a good idea to transcribe the recording once you are done, then add that print out to your box or folder of collected memories.

Go Off Topic

How much are you missing sports, Broadway plays, trips to the amusement park, or even a normal trip to the grocery store? Talk or write about what has changed and what you miss the most. Recount what is different about a trip to get food and, well, toilet paper. Mention how you finally have a clean house or the perfect lawn. Recount what you have done to fill the time that normally would have been taken up by work or outside activities – did you take up a new or revisit an old hobby, reconnect with forgotten friends, or anything else you never felt you had the time to do?

Be Creative

If you have a creative side, try your hand at writing a poem or painting some pictures of life during the coronavirus pandemic. Whatever your creative bent is, do not feel you have to write a lengthy essay or term paper to contribute to the body of work that will reflect this time.

Encourage Your Kids To Get Involved

In addition to encouraging them to try out the ideas listed above, both on their own and within family and friends’ groups, have them try some unique ways to add their own thoughts and feelings without it seeming too much like a school project. Try some old-fashioned letter-writing, but have them write a letter to themselves in thirty years, see what they think the adult version of themselves will want to remember. An alternative is to have them write a letter to their potential children or nieces or nephews – what would they like to tell the next generation about what it was like to be a kid during the time of COVID-19? Tap into their creative side too. Encourage them to express themselves in drawings or just give them free rein to color, paint, or sculpt. Have them write short stories, plays, or even silly songs or alternate lyrics for popular songs.

Above all, remember to have fun. We have all been through a lot and in some ways this project can serve as a source of healing as we move on to the next phase and start to reconnect with the world outside of our homes.

- Laura N., IT Department