The Forgotten Art of Remembering: Using Sundial Wisdom to Write Your Life Story One Memory at a Time
The Sundial Series - An Introduction
The Ticking Clock of Life: When Reality Hits
Are You Having The Time of Your Life?
When do you notice your life is passing you by?
What causes you to stop and take a reality check on just how old you are? Is it looking in the morning mirror and wondering, 'When did I get so old?' The worry lines tracking across your forehead, hooded eyelids, the soft folds of your life already passing by at speed.
Or perhaps when you celebrate yet another birthday and you realise the cards you receive dwindle the more birthdays you celebrate?
You're not alone. It creeps up on all of us. It’s why I wrote a memoir.
The Stealth of Time: Capturing Fleeting Moments
Time has this way of surreptitiously slipping by unnoticed. Then, often in a reflective moment, you catch yourself asking where it all went. Where did all the days and those memories go?
Here's the truth. Many of them are still there, waiting to be recaptured, reminisced, and are calling for you to record them.
Introducing The Sundial Series: Your Memory Lane Guide
I am creating The Sundial Series - an exciting journey we'll take together down the memory lanes of your life to capture your life stories, one memory at a time. My aim is to show you how, question by question, life story by life story, you can build a library of memories stored for you and your descendants to treasure.
The True Wealth of Memories
Trust me, it is a treasure more valuable than any possession you could ever own.
One day, a bit like Monopoly, when the game is over, no matter how many hotels, houses and railway stations you own, it all goes back in the box. The game you call life will end one day. Your life stories can live on immortal digitally and physically. But only if you write them down.
“‘The saddest thing about life is you don’t remember half of it. You don’t remember half of half of it.’ ”
The Wisdom of Sundials: Ancient Timekeepers, Modern Inspiration
Now you might wonder, why sundials? Why the Sundial Series?
My fascination with sundials began when I discovered each holds a seed of wisdom they impart about life. Each sundial offers a powerful reminder of the need to capture our life stories while we can. Let me explain.
The Evolution of Timekeeping
Since time began, we have measured it.
Night and day.
Days into hours.
Hours into minutes.
A lifetime.
It could have been a stick in the ground and a few stones in a circle. Who knows? But sundials evolved to be creative and elaborate timepieces, and bearers of wisdom.
Inscriptions of Eternity: The Poetry of Sundials
What makes Sundials special are the inscriptions often found on them. Mottos, sayings, and poetry, usually in Latin, reminding those seeking the time of day that their finite days are passing as fast as the shadow on the dial. Inscriptions such as BREVES AETAS VITA FUGAX (Time is short, life is fleeting). Or, NULLA EST VITA HUMANA (Human life is a shadow.)
Preserving Wisdom: Margaret Gatty's Legacy
In 1835, Margaret Gatty began collecting sundial mottos. Her lifelong passion became The Book of Sun-dials, preserving these snippets of wisdom forever. It's much like I want to encourage and teach you what to do with your life stories. Think about this, it's the same for you and I. Have you considered that your life stories will only endure beyond your time here if you write them?
While time has eroded many ancient sundial sayings, the wisdom of these mottos continues to live on. It could be the same with your life stories. It's a choice we can make.
The Sundial Method: Crafting Your Life's Narrative
Remember | Reflect | Write: The Three Pillars of The Sundial Series
The Recollection Phase
The Sorting Phase
The Writing Phase
Inspiration from Donald Miller: Editing Your Life's Story
Let me share with you one of my most read and gifted books that inspired this project - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller.
No matter how many times I re-read Miller's book, there is always something fresh to remind me about having the time of my life, and writing the best story I can with my life.
The Fragility of Memory: A Wake-Up Call
'The saddest thing about life is you don't remember half of it. You don't remember half of half of it,' Donald Miller
How true is that? It was a chance meeting that instigated Miller’s reflection. Donald meets Bob Goff, a fascinating character who is passionate about recording the stories of his life.
He tells him he writes in a journal everything he remembers about his life. He's got over five hundred pages of life stories. He captures his memories, one at a time, as they come to him. Because, as Bob tells him, 'It's as though I haven't lived the stories I don't remember.'
Reclaiming Lost Moments: The Power of Storytelling
Can you relate to this? I can. How many moments of your life have slipped away unremembered? Can you relate to those moments when, together with a loved one, you were lost in awe at a sinking sunset over the sea, or a chance meeting that changed the course of the direction of your life? Moments that were first and last - the first kiss, the last goodbye.
Embrace The Sundial Series: Your Journey Begins
A Method and a Skill: Unlocking Your Memories
Picture this: The Sundial Series is both a method and a skill to help you remember. It is an encouragement and a challenge for you to capture and document those memories by answering one question at a time.
Sundial Mottos: Guiding Your Life's Seasons
You'll discover how The Sundial Series uses a different sundial motto for various parts, roles and seasons of your life. These mottos and sayings will remind you as every day passes, it gives you the opportunity to share the story of your lives with those you love. Imagine giving this gift of your stories to your family for them to have long after your days have ended.
One Question at a Time: The Key to Writing Your Life’s Stories
All it takes is answering one question at a time. Are you ready to join me?
What's Next: Your Storytelling Adventure Awaits
Here's what you can look forward to in Sundial Series posts to come.
We will explore why you want to write the stories of your life.
Hear stories about and from people who decided to write their life stories or had memorials written about them.
Learn the simple and practical three-step process for writing your memories.
Discover many sundial mottos that can inspire, teach, and guide you in your life.
You will answer questions to prompt no end of memories to return. Yes, they are still there!
Which of these thoughts excites you the most? Let me know, please. Email me at info@peterbillingham.com
Coming Soon: Eternal Legacy in the Digital Age
In the next post I will expand on the idea of 'Eternal Legacy' by discovering the bridge and balance between age-old wisdom, personal storytelling, combined in the power of digital memorials and digital immortality. A new type of digital Memento mori.
