On being a reader of stories and journeys

Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice steering committee.

There comes a time when I am writing Stories and Journeys that I start to sense that I am done writing the column. It's time to click send to the publisher. At that point, I cease to be a writer and become a reader just like you. As a reader, there are times when I wonder if we, dear reader, are reading the same column. Keep in mind I am tasked to write what I am thinking, learning and experiencing in my life as a elder. Whether I am writing or reading that is uppermost in my mind. I urge you to do the same by way of keeping us on the same page, so to speak. Here are a couple examples that stand out in my mind where I wondered if we were reading the same column.

I WILL NOT BE PRESSURED OR CENSURED WITH RESPECT TO WHAT I WRITE.
There is an individual who claims to be a reader of Stories and Journeys who took exception to a column called Potential Rift and Retirement (4/25/24). He being one the subjects of the column. Now I have read that column several times. There is nothing that I am reading that would suggest that I am not being true to myself and what I am being tasked to do as a writer. This individual chooses not to go public with his objections, but privately is pressuring me with what I write or what he doesn't want me to write even though I am being true to myself and what I am tasked to write. I stand by what I wrote as being true to what I am thinking, learning and experiencing. There are two people who can change what I am tasked to write. They are myself, should I choose to quit writing, and the owner/publisher/editor of TMC Publications CO. The good news is that I sense that I have a lot more columns left in me to write. I've moved on and can only hope that this individual will do the same if he is not going to go public with his perceived grievances.
And if you have read this far you have taken the plunge into the river(flow) of life experience that is Stories and Journeys.

A MATTER OF RELEVANCE
While reading the October Messenger, I noticed a Letter to the Editor in which reader John claims to be resonating with me through something I was writing about in a previous column called "On Becoming an Octogenarian." In that column, I was writing under the heading 'Not My Mother's Republican Party.' I was making the point that from a distance I see Donald Trump as a scared little boy, etc. What enables me to see Donald Trump in this light is I am a scared little boy. It takes one to know one? What enabled me to recognize that part of myself is a traumatic life experience at a training lab in small group processes years ago that literally forced me to feel my feelings for the first time in my life. It was the beginning of my understanding myself as a highly sensitive person. Reader John references his own traumatic life experience – that being the loss of his wife of 40 years. He goes on to ask me to share the traumatic life experience that brought me to my knees. While I am sorry for John's loss, I am choosing not to share more than what I have written given I was writing under the heading 'Not My Mother's Republican Party.' I don't see how my sharing is relevant to the topic at hand.
As far as I can tell, the two best ways to publically respond to Stories and Journeys' content is email via tesha@tmcpub.com or a letter to the editor in the Messenger or Connector – methods I might try myself some day. For a one-to-one interaction, you can always try showing up at Elder Voices at Turtle Bread on the last Friday of each month.

ELDER VOICES AT TURTLE BREAD
Tom stopped by the September Elder Voices at Turtle Bread. Turns out he is celebrating having just took up residence at Nokomis Square. Like myself, he is an octogenarian. From what I can tell, he clearly grasps the spirit of Elder Voices – that being the belief that everyone has a story to tell and a journey to share. The challenge is how to capture and preserve those stories and journeys.
Elder Voices (Telling Our Stories/Sharing Our Journeys) is scheduled to meet Nov. 29, 10-11 a.m. at Turtle Bread, 4205 East 34th Street. Look for the table with the All Elders sign. If you want to celebrate anything, do show up.

In gratitude always.
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! NOV. 5

Donald L. Hammen is a longtime south Minneapolis resident, and serves on the All Elders United for Justice Board of Directors.