The Great Lakes Are in My DNA, are they in yours?

A Call for Story Submissions

The Great Lakes Are in My DNA, are they in yours?

As I prepare to fully launch the Great Lakes Guide Girl podcast, I’ve been thinking a lot aboutthe lakes themselves. Not the statistics or the shipping lanes or the maps, but the quieter things.

The personal things.

The kind of stories that don’t usually get written down, but are often shared at family dinner tables, reflected in holiday traditions, or relayed through generations that came before us.

I recently shared a piece called “The Park Bench That Brought Me Back to the Great Lakes.” It wasn’t epic. There were no celebrities or dramatic adventures. Just the story of growing up here and slowly realizing that these lakes had shaped my life in ways I didn’t fully understand until I was older.

And the more I thought about it, the more I realized something.

I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.

For many of us, this place is in our DNA in a way that’s hard to explain.

Not because something extraordinary happened.

But because ordinary things did.

Maybe it was summers at the beach.

Or fishing off a tiny rented row boat with your dad.

Or driving along the lake at sunset with the windows down.

Or working a summer job at a marina where the smell of the water never quite left your clothes.

These moments don’t make history books.

But they matter.

They shape people.

They shape communities, culture, and tradition.

And over time, they become part of the culture of the Great Lakes just as much as the famous stories do.

So I want to develop something new here at Great Lakes Guide Girl

I’m starting a sub-series called:

“In My Great Lakes DNA”

A collection of personal stories from people who feel connected to this place - sometimes in ways they can’t quite explain.

These stories don’t need to be extraordinary.

In fact, the best ones probably aren’t.

They’re the small memories.

The places you return to again and again.

The lake towns that raised you.

If you’ve ever felt like the Great Lakes somehow became part of who you are, I would love to hear your story.

You can send:

• A short written story

• A longer reflection

• A voice memo

• A photo with a memory attached

All of it belongs here.

Because sometimes the most important stories about a place aren’t the ones written in history books.

They’re the ones people quietly carry with them.  The stories that truly matter, because they are the stories of life.

And if you’re anything like me, chances are the Great Lakes have been quietly shaping your story all along.