ELDER VALLEY: REFLECTIONS FROM AN OLDER RESIDENT
At 75, Linda transformed from a self-described private introvert into a published memoirist and weekly podcast host. A Comox Valley writer shares what she learned from a five-year journey of sharing her life story with the world.
I spilled the beans when I published Route 1-75.
Author Jeannette Walls has said, “Memoir is about handing over your life to someone and saying, ‘This is what I went through, this is who I am, and maybe you can learn something from it.’”
Deciding to share my life story
When I read this, I felt inspired. So I decided to share the experiences in my own life that shaped me, challenged me, crushed me, and uplifted me, and—as happens with all of us as we travel the road of life—made me. To write and gather those stories into a memoir.
“It was a big deal to reveal myself in writing. When those beans skittered all over the place, I questioned myself.”
It was a five-year project. And out spilled 103 stories, vignettes, opinion pieces, personal essays, one novelette, and even a folk tale. My 530-page book weighed two pounds!
But even though I’d intentionally tipped over the jar, for me it was a big deal to reveal myself in writing. And, when those beans skittered all over the place, I questioned myself: Linda, for someone who says she’s a private introvert you’ve really stepped out of the proverbial box . . . What were you thinking?
From private memoir to public book launch
Well, I was thinking: this was the perfect way to express the joy I find in crafting words and become absorbed in a creative venture. And I wanted to gift my book to friends at a book launch (aka my 75th birthday party). That was thrilling, yet intimate.
Then I was thinking: this could be a way to let others know they’re not alone on this bumpy road—they will find strength and stamina they never knew they had, they will deal. And maybe, upon reflection, they will appreciate the humour and irony I found along the way. So I organized a public book reading. That was nerve-wracking, yet well-received.
Learning to create a memoir podcast at 75
A few months later, after encouragement from several readers to “get my stories out there more,” I was thinking: how can I do that? So I investigated audio-readings in a podcast format. After a hundred Google “how to” searches, and at least as many mistakes, I learned how to record my stories. That was brain-exploding, yet exhilarating.
I introduced my podcast, My 75-Year Road Trip, in January 2025 with the goal of releasing a new episode every Sunday for 52 weeks. My stories now reach folks all over the world via the magic of technology. That has been affirming, yet humbling.
Creating my memoir from scratch in such a novel way gave me an opportunity to do something different, explore new territory, learn new skills, and fire up my brain.
“Remember when you were full of beans? We Elders still have much to offer.”
Unexpected lessons from reflecting on the past
At the same time, though, as I delved into my past, unexpected memories and emotions were triggered, some I’d sooner forget. But all this reflection turned out to deliver more life lessons, as well as an acceptance, even appreciation, of the potholes and detours we all experience travelling on this road.
Remember when you were full of beans? (Maybe you still are.) We Elders still have much to offer—and to learn—when we brush off our inner critics, fill our tanks with gas, toot our horns, and hit the road.
