Creating my own Zen: StoryCorps

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Motherhood is hard. Wait, LIFE is hard. But the best part is we’re all in it together. Join me as we find our zen in the middle of parenthood, marriage, extended family, volunteering, and just generally enjoying our time here in Lake County.

Note that all opinions belong to me and only me and are not a reflection of our advertisers, partners, or other writers.

Creating My Own Zen

Do you listen to podcasts? They’re like free radio programs in little pockets that you can download to your smartphone or listen to on the computer at your convenience. My favorite podcast is StoryCorps by National Public Radio. NPR records and shares stories and interviews of ordinary and extraordinary people.

The Great Thanksgiving Listen

StoryCorps has taken on a major initiative to interview an entire aging generation this Thanksgiving, calling it The Great Thanksgiving Listen. I tweaked the idea a little and wanted to capture my children’s thoughts, dreams, and, most importantly, voices, so I recently sat down and interviewed them.

Most StoryCorps interviews last about 40 minutes; however, I paired mine down to my top nine questions, and the interviews ended up being only five minutes in length. And now I have their cute little voices telling me their hopes and dreams on my phone and also in the Library of Congress. I used the free StoryCorps app on my iPhone, and it was so easy and user-friendly! It took me no more than 15 minutes to plan out my interview and then 5 minutes to record.

What Questions to ask for a StoryCorps Interview?

StoryCorps offers suggested questions based on the category of interview. If you don’t want to make up your own questions, I asked the following and loved the responses.

What is your favorite thing to do with your mom?
What is your favorite thing to do with your brother?
What is your favorite thing to do with your dad?
What are your hopes and dreams?
What has been your hardest day?
Who is your hero? Why?
What has been your best day?
What do you think the best invention is?
What do you want to try that you’ve never done before?

This was the most effortless, most fun, and most memorable project I’ve done in a while. I’m great at capturing photographs and moments for the baby books, like when teeth fall out, but I am lacking at documenting their cute little voices.

I’m looking forward to doing more interviews soon with my parents and my goddaughters, hopefully! Let me know in the comments if you have a great interview idea!