All the time there is

Today, I took a look back at some of the blogs/columns (31 on Blogger in nine years) I’ve written over the past few years. I had a lot to say. Sometimes repetitive... Sometimes insightful…sometimes seemingly random and disjointed, but I wrote. And I believe everyone should. Even if it’s only a letter to yourself or your family….everyone should write something down about themselves, their life or their family’s life. That’s history! I know the academics of the world will research the day away in old books, records, photographs or albums. They will carefully match world or U.S. history to local events, and their own experience, recollections or the stories of their ancestors. Great! But not everyone has that kind of self-discipline, and you don’t have to. Did you write a diary page or a letter to yourself about the trip you took to the coast last summer? Or the ride through the woods last weekend? That’s all it takes. One page at a time, one memory at a time and you’ve helped your memory of life and for your children or grandchildren. Believe it or not they will want to know how you spent your days before….whatever the latest technology may be offering. I remember my mother wheeling the wringer washer into the floor, filling the tub and winding a load of clothes through to take it outside to be hung on the line to dry….all four seasons! Now, I push a button to wash, move the load and push a button to dry. My dishes are done! I pushed another button. Now I have time to write again or maybe vacuum…or not. We all say “there isn’t enough time….” for anything, but that’s not true. A school administrator once told me one of the most valuable lessons he learned was from a custodian at the school. When he lamented, “there’s not enough time…” the custodian had the answer, “you’ve got all there is son.” We all have 24 hours in a day, seven days a week, etc. It’s how and where you use the time that makes all the difference. It’s okay to waste time after you push that button. It’s okay to enjoy the sunshine or snow whatever the season may be, but there is no more time. But time also passes…sometimes too quickly. Grab your computer, your tablet or even your phone or a piece of paper and start a page. Tell your grandchildren how you spent your day or your first day on the job. Tell them about the chicken you burned or the great steak you marinated. Tell them your memories of your grandparents, or paddling on the river or when you first met them. Just one page….and yes, even if you never do it again, but while you’re thinking of it. I know my message is repetitive and I sometimes have to remind myself to do what I say. But I truly believe everyone wants to know about their family, or their hometown, or childhood home or perhaps it’s a special family home in a distance place or memory. I have many fond memories of long-gone relatives that I wish everyone, my family, could know. How will they know if I don’t “write it down”?