Greetings reading friends. I apologize for my absence, but alas, I've been somewhat distracted lately.
Earlier this week I had the great fortune to hear Henry Rollins speak. This guy is really amazing. He's done everything from fronting the punk band Black Flag in the 80s to hosting radio shows to appearing in the second season of "Sons of Anarchy" to being a very compelling speaker and activist today.
What struck a chord with the librarian in me was Mr. Rollins' talk of being quite the archivist -- or rather, a person in charge of a collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution, or group of people. During his music/band days, he saved everything: posters, notes, everything! Why? Well, because no one else would, but also because he knew then (and now) how important that stuff is.
Got me thinking. In this very digital age in which we find ourselves, how much paper stuff are you saving? Please do not think I am advocating hoarding. I am not a hoarder! I am not!
But saving some of that special stuff will really mean something some day.
My friend Marvin saves all the tickets to baseball games he's attended -- and smart guy that he is, can probably tell you the score of each game, who pitched, and how many double plays there were!
My BFF Isabella saves a lot of stuff too, except she can't remember what the stuff is from. Case in point: The other day she came across a record album (before CDs, my young readers). It was by a Bay Area band. She had no idea why she had the album, when we ever heard that band play, etc. I had an inkling of a memory, but was able to call an old friend (thanks Eric) to give us date, time, and the whole line-up of bands. This is definitely a memory from a special time.
Again, do not become a hoarder. But those events that mean something to you now? They'll mean a whole lot more to you in the years to come...especially if you're sharing it with a dear friend.
My advice? Save some small token of those special events. And, as Henry Rollins would advise, make a note of the date, who was with you, what you felt. Oh, you're going to thank me one day.
Get a small acid-free box to store these mementos in. That's another thing I learned from Henry Rollins.
Trust me. Someday you'll open that box and your heart will jump with the memory of something really special.
And if you're looking for a little more inspiration on this, check out Nate Berkus' The Things That Matter. Trust me.
Got me thinking. In this very digital age in which we find ourselves, how much paper stuff are you saving? Please do not think I am advocating hoarding. I am not a hoarder! I am not!
But saving some of that special stuff will really mean something some day.
My friend Marvin saves all the tickets to baseball games he's attended -- and smart guy that he is, can probably tell you the score of each game, who pitched, and how many double plays there were!
My BFF Isabella saves a lot of stuff too, except she can't remember what the stuff is from. Case in point: The other day she came across a record album (before CDs, my young readers). It was by a Bay Area band. She had no idea why she had the album, when we ever heard that band play, etc. I had an inkling of a memory, but was able to call an old friend (thanks Eric) to give us date, time, and the whole line-up of bands. This is definitely a memory from a special time.
Again, do not become a hoarder. But those events that mean something to you now? They'll mean a whole lot more to you in the years to come...especially if you're sharing it with a dear friend.
My advice? Save some small token of those special events. And, as Henry Rollins would advise, make a note of the date, who was with you, what you felt. Oh, you're going to thank me one day.
Get a small acid-free box to store these mementos in. That's another thing I learned from Henry Rollins.
Trust me. Someday you'll open that box and your heart will jump with the memory of something really special.
Until next week, be well!
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