What to do with it all?
John sat in the basement, looking at all the accumulated things he had gathered in his lifetime. There were the school notebooks that he had used in high school and college containing all the notes he had taken. There were the record albums and CDS from all the music he had loved during all the stages of his life. There were the calendars and checkbook registers from all the years dating back to his first job. There were all the photo albums from his childhood to the present day containing pictures of his parents and other relatives, events he participated in, places he visited, his marriage, the birth of his children, and times shared with his family.
But it was time to move and the house he was moving to was much smaller than his present one. It was suggested by a number of people that he should throw it all away. Start afresh. Begin a new history. Let the past be past.
But how could he do that? These were antiques. They may not have value in the real world, but to him they were treasures. How do you decide what to give up? History is only history and of value, if it is remembered, not thrown away.
Those notebooks, tell of a time past and what was considered important in those eras. Those records and CDs represent a culture and how it changed. Calendars and old checkbook records tell a story of a life lived. And the photos represented a visual history.
Yes, one person can remember those instances and share them, but once that person is gone, without the evidence, that history is gone.
So what was it that he should throw away? I’m sure he is not the only person ever to sit in front of a pile of memories that had to make a decision like this.
What memories and pieces of your life are worth keeping? How do you intend to make those pieces remain beyond your existence? Photos? Stories shared? Artifacts?
Do not throw it all away. You are part of a bigger picture and deserve to be remembered. How you choose to do it is up to you. My suggestion: stories, photos, and recordings. Save what you can digitally and most importantly share while you’re there. We should not be forgotten.
