Dopamine from information gathering is a dangerous drug. Get your dopamine from action.

My mom hired a young writer to sit with my 94-year-old grandmother in India and document stories from her life. They met weekly for two years. The process brought my grandmother joy. The result will bring my family joy for years to come. I think everyone should do this: We had planned to give her the book on her 95th birthday, but sadly, life had other plans. After she passed in October 2023, we took our time finding photos to fill the pages. This week, we got to see the final product. My mom found the writer through an elderly care service in India. Her request was for someone who would record and transcribe stories from my grandmother. The writer was a recent university graduate named Raika Sengupta. The process began shortly after the pandemic lockdowns ended in India. Raika would visit with my grandmother every week. Depending on my grandmother’s energy, they would meet for an hour or less. Each time, they would pick up where they left off on her life journey. Raika would record the conversation and then transcribe the recordings. Mostly in my grandmother’s own words, with some stylistic improvements where necessary. My grandmother was an amazing storyteller, so the writing naturally flowed. The weekly meeting became a beautiful ritual. During a time when there wasn’t much to look forward to because of COVID lockdowns and a diminished social life, my grandmother looked forward to these sessions. They made her feel important again. Such a powerful thing at her age. Once the writing was complete, my mother, a beautiful writer herself, took the pen on editing and converting the stories into a book. She worked with my grandmother on the flow and filling in the gaps. They added chapters on special people in her life. We wanted to add photos to the book, so the whole family got involved. When I traveled to India in 2023, I got to sit with my mom, dad, and grandmother and go through old photos to include. We uncovered some real gems. It was beautiful. I didn't know it would be the last time I would see my grandmother in this world... But her legacy lives on in the stories and pages of this book. We had enough copies made so that all of her family could have a copy to remember her by. I really believe everyone should do this. One of the saddest things is seeing our grandparents feel they are no longer “important” to anyone. That they no longer matter. The process reminded my grandmother how much she was loved and how much she still had to offer the world. There are a variety of services (including some AI-enabled options) to make it seamless and cost-effective to capture, document, and memorialize the stories from your loved ones. I would encourage everyone to consider doing the same for your parents or grandparents. It's a beautiful thing.