← How to Ask an Elder, and Be Asked · Lesson 1 of 4
Ask about a day, not a life
"Tell me about your life" is too big a question. Most people answer it with a summary they have given before: born here, worked there, had children.
A small question gets a real answer. "What did you have for breakfast when you were twelve?" "Who lived next door?" "What did a school day sound like?" Small questions bring back a place, and a place brings back people.
If you are the one being asked, the same holds. Answer with one morning, not ten years.
Which question is most likely to get a story you have not heard before?
A lesson is kept once you've answered the question and written at least 8 words. Nobody grades it; it stays on this device.