Catullus, back in the late Roman Republic, expressed youth’s longing to live in the present beautifully in this poem:

Let us live and love
And not care tuppence for old men
Who sermonise and disapprove.
Suns when they sink can rise again,
But we, when our brief light has shone,
Must sleep the long night on and on.

Much more recently, my client lamented in his memoir, “I regret not taking the time to listen to his stories,” referring to his uncle’s treasure trove of memories from WWI.

Life story writing tackles this age-old push and pull between our elders wanting to impart their wisdom and our youth’s drive to forge on alone. Write your stories of perseverance, resilience and humour down now so that you will be there when they need you.