Rifling through your memory to identify important events and enertaining anecdotes from the past seventeen years of your life can be a daunting task. Where do you begin? How could you possibly be expected to remember everything that ever happened to you? It is often much harder to try and conjure these memories out of thin air than it is to talk about them with the people who know you best — your family. Sit down at the dinner table and ask your parents to dig up some of their favorite moments from your past. Probe your siblings for the stories that make them belly laugh no matter how many times they’re told at holiday dinners. And if you’re lucky enough to have grandparents to talk to, call them up and see what they have to say. After living very full lives, grandparents have often distilled their favorite stories down to a collection of the very best. Believe it or not, your eighty-five year old granny probably remembers a gem you don’t — and it may make for a great essay.
