Vitality Stories
Bonnie
7 Year-old Detective Solves Her First Case In 1942
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I’m excited to continue sharing excerpts of Bonnie’s memoirs. As is my practice, I strove to capture her memories word-for-word out of respect for her voice, recollection, and perspective. Continue reading
Vitality Stories
David Wachs and Jack Beers
an interview with
Director, David Wachs
Part One – Behind the Scenes
Who, What, Why
In October, I wrote about Jack Beers and the documentary of his life, Holes In My Shoes. And when I couldn’t get Mr. Beers out of my head, I also mentioned him here.
Vitality Stories captures the life stories of those who have lived and learned, so it’s not a surprise I was drawn to a feature documentary called Holes In My Shoes. 94-year-old Jack’s zeal for life heavily influenced me, and in large part, this is due to the man who met Jack Beers and recognized there was a vitality story to share, someone who had the vision and talent to deliver the documentary in a way that would, indeed, make it ‘An inspirational story for all ages,‘ and that man is Director, David Wachs.
I wanted to better understand the connection between David Wachs and Jack Beers, and as a person on her own creative journey, I was curious how and why Mr. Wachs chooses his projects, which are many and varied, ranging from pilots to children’s series, including We’re Puppeteers! for Nick Jr. He granted me an interview, and after a long conversation with Mr. Wachs, I was rewarded with a life lesson and inspiration as I learned more about his recent endeavors. Continue reading
Vitality Stories
Growing In Tokyo – Day One
First Impression
Steps taken: 19,654
Not knowing much about Tokyo, we were hesitant to book traditional Japanese accommodations and instead opted for a western hotel between the Akasaka and Roppongi neighborhoods. As is typical when staying at a western-influenced hotel, our fellow lodgers were a mix of business travellers and tourists.
Ted and I are walkers. I wear a pedometer on our travels to track our daily adventure (and to figure out how much dessert I will eat) one step at a time. We have struck a fashion sense inclined towards practicality and comfort, avoiding aching feet and backs without feeling underdressed, or barring ourselves entrance to nice restaurants or establishments due to tennis shoes, t-shirts and jeans. Our packing philosophy has always worked—until Tokyo. Continue reading
Vitality Stories
Jack Beers, promotional photo provided by Holes In My Shoes
Jack Beers
What are we living for?
Holes In My Shoes
I recently watched Holes In My Shoes, a documentary directed by David Wachs, chronicling the life story of 94 year-old, Jack Beers. As lessons tend to go, Jack’s story drove home something I’ve been hearing and writing about a lot lately: whatever you choose to do, put your heart into it.
Jack Beers was born in 1910 and survived the Great Depression, growing up in Lower East Side New York City. He decided to drop out of school because he wanted to help support his parents and siblings. When he told his father, his dad said, “If you’re going to sweep floors, I want you to be the best floor sweeper. Anything you do, be the best at it.”* And so Jack set out to be the best at everything he did. Continue reading
Vitality Stories
an interview with
Artist Michael Michaud
MIchael Michaud, photo provided by Michael Michaud Jewelry
The Reason
To learn from someone else, we need only to ask them about their experiences, and that’s the purpose of the Vitality Stories Interviews. I’m not writing the memoirs for artist, Michael Michaud, but I discovered his work while I was on a four-month road trip and, unbeknownst to him, he inspired me to change. Continue reading
Vitality Stories
Lesson #6
You‘re never too old for field trips, trikes, and milkshakes
I recently visited my mother in Carson City, Nevada. I hadn’t been there in almost two years, but after moving from the east coast and living on the road for the past four months, the road, actually a plane, landed me in Northern Nevada.
Thanks to technology, I’d been in touch with my mom on a regular basis, but now that I was going to be in town for 10 days, I had a laundry list of things to help her with in an effort to give my local siblings ‘serving on the ground’ temporary respite from meeting Mom’s needs. I’d be doing her shopping, cleaning, defrosting her dormitory freezer…you get the picture.
I was also in town to see friends and take my first headshots, but my mom was anxious to see me and I have the cell phone log to prove it. My visit would be a treat because I had promised Continue reading
Vitality Stories
Interview #2
Bonnie, 2nd from left, WCCO Radio, March of Dimes Telethon
Hello, My Name Is Bonnie
Why, What, How
Most of the senior citizens I’ve met yearn to be an example of success and happiness. They don’t relish the idea of anyone making their same mistakes. Often times, they don’t always know WHY they made a certain choice, but they almost always know WHAT they would do differently given the chance, and they always know HOW they want to be remembered. Continue reading
Vitality Stories Lesson #3
Helping elders with their memoirs is a trip in time. On one hand, I’m enrolled in Life 101, learning valuable lessons that I can apply to my own existence, relationships, and choices—a veritable checklist of Do’s & Don’ts for a Happy Life. On the other hand, I spend A LOT of time digging around in someone else’s past, and before I know it BANG!—something happens Continue reading
Vitality Stories Interview #1
Hello, My Name is Teri
This weekend, I made an adult , risky and cringe-worthy, decision. Sometimes my newsletter will cover interviews with Vitality Stories worthy folks. Each guest will answer the same questions, which at times, are very personal. I decided Continue reading