Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Just 5 Things

This is my 2nd post for today, so if you want to see the other, please scroll down. :)

For a long time I've been concerned about what posterity might know of me if I didn't leave anything behind for them. I love to scrapbook, but scrapbook pages can often be superficial in natural. By this I mean that we don't often tell about our real self -- our true thoughts and feelings. They usually cover life events of our children and families and I know that the pictures I haven't scrapped by far out weigh the ones I have. I know I also tend to scrapbook the joyous times in life of which there are many, but life isn't always joyous. Sometimes life is painful and hard. What have I learned? What do I wish I'd done? For this though I felt photographs were secondary. I wanted to show a picture of myself from the inside out. Where is my heart? What do I value? What hurts? To this end I began working on a list for myself titled Just 5Things. There are 50 topics on my list. This is some of them;

5 people important to me
5 friends I have known
5 things I would do if I had no limitations
5 things I live for
5 things I don't want to forget
5 things I don't want to live without
5 pieces of advice I wish I could have given myself at 18
5 things I'm passionate about
5 things I wish I could change
5 things I do every day
5 challenges that have changed me
5 things I wish I didn't care about
5 days I'll never forget
5 things I spend too much time on
5 reasons I cry
5 things that might surprise you

The list goes on and on. Like I said, I've worked on this list since last March. I also teach a Pictures In Art Class and this is what my list has become:









There are 6 dividers (shown on my class blog) and the 2nd class will be the pages. The class has been instructed to choose 10 things and I've provided worksheets with questions so that they can journal their true thoughts and feelings. This is to be about them. Even if they choose to tell about 5 people they love, it must be what this has done for them, not just a tribute to the someone else. We will be making scrapbook pages (5X7) for the main 5 things x 5 items (which I've instructed them on how to choose) and then the last divider will hold 5 pages bullet style of the remaining 5 things x 5 items. They have photo instructions to help illustrate the first 5 things. My hope is that the class (me included) will continue to complete the list of 50 things and stuff our boxes so that once we are no longer here to tell our stories our posterity will know us. They won't just have our memories, but our thoughts and feelings in a way I know without this I would never explore. I've told them that I hope they won't even share the boxes with their families now. I think it will be of much more value as a treasure later.

Here's my question for you. What 5 things would you want your posterity to know about you and how are you going to tell them?

5 comments:

Nicole said...

Hi Rachele,

Thanks so much for the email~ I just haven't had two seconds to email you back. I really appreciate it though. As for this new box project of yours it is beautiful.. I just have kept a personal journal where I ask myself these types of questions throughout it.. but I LOVE this idea as well. Where did you get the boxes from?

Love,
Nicole Martin

Jen said...

what a great idea!! hmmm.. you even got me thinking. I have been wanting to do an about me book...this sounds more fun, and less work.

Anonymous said...

Fabulous, idea my "funky" friend. i would love to do this... wanna come to my house? maybe in the winter I will come to yours instead - a heck of alot warmer...

Linda
www.ldshewchuk.myctmh.com

Kari said...

I haven't been blog hopping in months now and look at what I've been missing out on!!!!! Oh, I so need the trick to making those blocks tumble ;) Gorgeous projects! I absolutely love the idea of the Just 5 things box. Every last project is perfect! I thought of you this morning as I was baking cinnamon rolls as conference was starting :) Hope you and your family are doing well!

Stacey said...

I absolutely LOVE your box and the idea behind it!! Genious!