We grew up with catchy advertising jingles and slogans, from wondering where the yellow went, to asking does she or doesn’t she. Whether or not they affected our buying choices, they were a part of our lives. Think back … what jingles or slogans from your youth were most memorable to you, and why? Has the golden age of advertising passed, or have recent years brought equally significant jingles or slogans? Share your advertising jingles and slogans stories forward.

Freud called our earliest memories screen memories. Even if these first memories actually happened, the way we recall them may be dream-like, as if obscured by a screen that distorts them. They may be influenced by stories others have told us or reflective of unconscious wishes we had at the time. Think back … what is one of your first memories? Do you think this early memory really happened the way you recall it? Share your first memory stories forward.

People either love it or hate it. When we baby boomers were in grade school, it was common to give cute little Valentine cards to the kids we liked, and not to the ones we didn’t like. Ouch. As adults, we might choose the day to mush on one special person, or to remind a few people how much we love them, usually in shades of red, and usually with a card, candy, flowers, a poem, or all of the above. We might even propose marriage, or get married. Think back…to a special Valentine’s Day or gift given or received. Share your Valentine’s Day stories forward.

Every four years of our lives there has been a presidential inauguration held on January 20th. Some have been more memorable than others, for the weather, the participants, or the impact on our country. Think back … to years past or just last week. What do you recall from these important ceremonies, for good or for ill, and how were you affected by them? Share your inaugurations stories forward.

Did you ever take some action to right a wrong? The late Congressman John Lewis, who devoted his life to racial justice and equality, famously said, “Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” Think back … Did you ever get in good, necessary trouble? It need not be a political action. It could be something seemingly minor like taking a stand at a PTA meeting or writing a letter to the editor. What did you do and what was the consequence? Share your good trouble stories forward.

In our busy lives, it’s easy to lose touch with people—neighbors, classmates, coworkers, ex-lovers—who are important to us. The COVID pandemic might have encouraged you to reconnect with someone by phone, email, or even in person. Or, maybe there was a meaningful reconnection in your more distant past. Think back … who have you reconnected with? How did you find them? What was the response? Share your Reconnecting stories forward.

Time was, pretty much every adult wore a hat in public. Today, they’re no longer de rigueur, though we still wear them for protection on the job or from the weather, for religious reasons, or just for the fun of it. In terms of fashion, more than any other piece of clothing, a hat makes a statement, and if you’re wearing one, it’s the first thing people notice about you. Think back…about the hats in your life, or one special hat. Share your hats stories forward.

Some of us are artists, and some are not, but we have all enjoyed art in one form or another in our lives. Think back … have you created art when you were a child or later as an adult? If so, what medium was or is your favorite? If you have just enjoyed art as a spectator, was it in museums, galleries, or some other place? Do you collect art yourself? Share your art and art museums stories forward.

Universal Letter Writing Week, January 10-17, encourages us to put pen to paper or fingertips to keyboard and write to someone. Most likely, you communicate with the people in your life via email and texts these days, and writing letters is a lost art. Picture your younger self and write yourself an actual letter. Think back … At what stage of your life would a letter from who you are now have been most helpful? What advice would you give yourself? What stories would you like your younger self to know? Share your “letter to my younger self” stories forward.

Happy New Year! Now that we have expressed gratitude at the Thanksgiving table, and the season of gift giving is over, some formal thank yous might be in order—but how formal? Are handwritten thank you notes relics of the past or still relevant? When, if ever, does an email or text suffice? Think back … to how you were taught to thank others. What about now? How do you or your children offer thanks for presents or kind gestures? And is saying “you’re welcome” a lost art? Share your Thank You stories forward.