Calling Again

This is an addendum to the Call for Stories post. If any of you followed the link to the book blog, you found a lo-o-o-ng list of chapters and summaries. In case that was as overwhelming to you as it is to me (!), here are some suggested ideas. If you have anything to share about any of this, please leave a comment here or email me at pspencer@unm.edu.

We’re seeking true stories from people in midlife, for possible inclusion in our book. What kind of stories? See our 50 suggested themes below. Don’t just tell us what happened; TELL US HOW THE EXPERIENCE CHANGED YOU, as well as any advice you may have for people facing similar situations! Stories should be as brief as possible (and we reserve the right to edit as needed for length and clarity). Don’t worry if it’s well-written; just tell the story in your own words. For more complete information about our book's contents, see the series of posts titled "Call for Stories."

Email your input to pspencer@unm.edu. Please include your real name, your (real!) age, and the first name (real or not) that you’d like us to use for you in our book and/or blog. DEADLINE: August 31, 2006 (though sooner is definitely better!)

Fifty Suggested Story Ideas (feel free to think up your own)

1. The Classic Midlife Crisis (whatever that means to you)
2. Near-death experience
3. Mentoring a young person (on the job or Big Brother/Big Sister)
4. “I’m a foster parent"
5. Caring for elderly parents
6. “I became a parent for the first time in midlife”
7. Hypnosis or self-hypnosis for lifestyle change
8. "I got Rolfed!"
9. first-hand experience with the Alexander Method
10. Confronting addiction
11. Junk-food junkie no more!
12. “I lost the weight and kept it off”
13. Reducing dependence on Rx meds through diet, exercise, and/or other natural means
14. Loving your body after disfiguring accident or surgery
15. “I ‘feng-shui’ed my home! (garden, work place, whatever)”
16. “How journaling changed my life”
17. FINANCIAL PLANNER! Help!! What’s your advice for the midlifer who never got around to saving for retirement (yet)??
18. Radical change in your belief system
19. "I truly believe that stranger was an Angel, right here on earth!"
20. "Group meditation can change the world -- I've seen it happen!"
21. Lucid dreaming
22. Solving waking-life problems while you sleep
23. Hey Sailor! Tell us what it really means to "go with the flow."
24. Healing trauma -- even years later
25. Chanting and/or drumming for better wellbeing
26. Howling at the moon
27. How do you feed your Muse?
28. Got a totem animal? How'd you meet? Then what happened?
29. "I was the proverbial 'Little Engine Who Could'!"
30. Road Trip! The long strange trip that changed your life.
31. Adventures in colonics!
32. What would you pack in your Midlife Survival Kit?
33. There are worse things in life than getting a hearing aid.
34. Lasik surgery or first pair of bifocals?
35. Pushing the envelope.
36. Are you a Native American who can tell us about the Seventh Generation concept?
37. "I screwed up my courage and made the call!"
38. Life after divorce.
39. PAR-TAY! Tell us of a big 5-0 celebration for the record books.
40. The gift of my heart attack.
41. Postcards from Nirvana (the serious pursuit of enlightenment or the peak pleasure experience, your choice)
42. Are you a "wild and crazy guy" (still crazy after all these years)?
43. "I am so past caring about keeping up with the Joneses!"
44. New romance in midlife
45. Confessions of a misanthrope: or "How I learned to love the entire human race"
46. Riders on the storm: surviving mental illness
47. There've been WAY too many funerals lately!
48. So what do you want on your gravestone?
49. Forsaking food and sleep: the masterpiece that came through you
50."I love to laugh....it's getting worse every year!"