I used to beg my mom to tell me stories about her childhood. I loved to hear them because it was so fun to think of my mom doing kid things! Do I necessarily think that the rest of the world would enjoy them the same way- -uh, no. In fact, my son preferred that I make up stories when he was small, rather than to hear about my life! haha So I don't feel like my family's story needs to be out there for everyone to hear. That being said, my son did gift my mother a subscription to StoryWorth for Christmas. He is choosing weekly questions, and my mom writes her answers. After a year, the pages she has created will be turned into a book. My mom's decision to complete this project has more to do with what she gains from the process and less to do with passing something on to my son.
I think that if we look carefully enough, we can find similarities between our own lives and the lives of many others. Parts of Quiara's story, Jesmyn Ward's story, and/or Joan Didion's story may also be a part of our own lived experience. That is the great thing about telling those stories out loud. Maybe someone will feel less alone, less different, more inspired by identifying with something he/she hears. I think the most important thing is that we all find a way to tell the story we have lived- -be it to ourselves, one other person, or to readers worldwide. And there are many ways besides writing to tell our stories.