From Workshops to Sonoma Stories - Don Lundgren
Don’s Sonoma Journey
This is the third of four stories about Don Lundgren’s relationship with Sonoma.
🟩 I Visited Sonoma Before Marylou - Don Lundgren — Chapter 1
See how Don’s first impressions of Sonoma set the stage for what came later.
🟥 Finding Our Town Sonoma - Don & Marylou Lundgren — Chapter 2
Continue the journey as Don and Marylou choose Sonoma as the place where they will build their life together.
🟦 From Workshops to Sonoma Stories - Don Lundgren (You are reading this story.)
Click the story title above to see how the ideas developed through years of workshops became Sonoma Stories—a community project that preserves the stories of Sonoma’s people.
🟨 Creating Sonoma Stories - Don Lundgren — Chapter 4
See how the ideas developed through years of workshops grew into a community storytelling project, read below
-
After retiring, Don wanted more than leisure—he wanted purpose. One project led to another, from helping people organize their photos to helping them discover meaningful projects and preserve their life stories. Along the way, those workshops unexpectedly led to the creation of Sonoma Stories.
-
I created a website and workshop that helped people tell their life stories using ChatGPT. The workshop wasn’t really about teaching AI. People learned ChatGPT naturally as they used it to create something meaningful—their own story.
Then something unexpected happened.
During the winter of 2026, while teaching in San Pancho, Mexico, I began asking participants to create a standard story called The San Pancho I Found.
As more stories were created, I realized they were becoming something larger than individual memories. Together they were telling the story of an entire community.
That realization led to the creation of the San Pancho Stories website.
When I returned to Sonoma in the spring of 2026, I wondered if the same idea could work here.
That question became the beginning of Sonoma Stories.
Looking back, I can see that each project naturally led to the next. None of them were planned years in advance. Each solved one problem, revealed another opportunity, and pointed toward a new way of helping people.
When I first wondered whether retirement would give me something to look forward to each morning, I couldn’t have imagined where that question would lead.
Today I know the answer.
Retirement didn’t end my work.
It simply gave me the freedom to focus on the work that matters most to me.
-
Purpose Doesn’t Retire
Retirement created the opportunity to focus entirely on work that reflected my values.
One Project Leads to Another
Meaningful work rarely follows a detailed plan. Each project created the foundation for the next.
Helping Through Simple Systems
Clear, practical frameworks made it easier for people to organize photos, find purpose, tell their stories, and ultimately help build community.
Curiosity Creates Opportunity
Being willing to explore new ideas—including AI—opened doors I never expected.
Communities Are Built One Story at a Time
What began as helping individuals tell their stories eventually became a way to preserve the story of an entire community.
Deeper Theme
Purpose isn’t something you find once.
It’s something you continue to build, one meaningful project at a time.
-
This story was created from a written outline prepared by Don Lundgren and expanded into a first-person story with the assistance of AI. Don reviewed and edited the story before publication. Writing an outline is one of four ways storytellers can create a Sonoma Story.
