New York Times columnist David Brooks isn’t framing his request as “stories,” but rather as essays providing “a brief report on your life so far, an evaluation of what you did well, of what you did not so well and what you learned along the way.”

Nonetheless, Brooks is asking for these essays from folks over 70, and he plans to write columns about them at Thanksgiving time, as well as post as many as possible online. Septuagenarians can send their stories to dabrooks@nytimes.com.

His purpose is twofold. First, he wants to provide an opportunity for folks to conduct self-appraisal because our culture provides few formal opportunities for us to do so. Secondly, Brooks feels the essays will provide lessons to younger folks about “how a life develops, how careers and families evolve, what are the common mistakes and the common blessings of modern adulthood.”

Though I don’t always agree with his politics, I find Brooks to be a very smart guy. I look forward to learning what he comes up with