In praise of ink & paper

It's been 20+ years since I cut my digital teeth, so blogging seems as natural to me as writing in my journal.  Still, I'm savvy enough in the ways of digital media to appreciate its strengths & be wary of its weaknesses, which I fear too many don't comprehend.

This past summer, I put my cell phone on the roof of my car - for just a second, while I opened the back door - and drove off, sending it flying to kingdom come.  Although I've preached the importance of getting digital photos printed out every quarter & transferred to a storage disk, I hadn't taken that simple precaution.  All the photos are gone.  Poof!  No rewinding time & preserving what's lost.  No sharing them with John, no sending copies to friends. 

How many irretrievable moments & memories are being lost through being shared on social media or stored in a cloud, rather than written or typed or printed on good old-fashioned PAPER?

How much is lost in the name of convenience? 

Perhaps I'm more aware of what could be lost, since reading Mom's treasure trove of letters from family members helped shift my life into higher spirit gear.  

This past weekend - a weekend devoid of e-mail & online searches - renewed my gratitude for ink & paper, for all the priceless photos & letters & documents that have helped me gain a better idea of myself, a greater appreciation of & compassion for others.  

Praise be we printed out the volley of e-mails sent between Mom & Kerry, priceless family history which were, happily, printed out because my sister drummed the importance of documenting into my head - "Save, then PRINT." 
 
Finding our elementary school report cards & from our high school years, helped give me a more stable grounding, the typed out grades & the teachers' hand-written comments giving a deeper sense of myself, separate from and in relationship to the others. 

I think about the photo Mim handed me on that last visit, the shining face of that 3-year old, the laughing joyous open little girl.  Will always remember my sister handing it, entrusting it to me, then using it as the only photo in her online tribute.  Three cheers for Kodak! 

95% of the progress I've made over the past 14 years was spearheaded by reading old letters, discovering ancient secrets that still held tremendous present-day power, confirming this hunch or dispelling that assumption.  

Finding out that how insufferably rude a sister-in-law considered me, from almost the moment we met.  Helped explain her labeling me - almost 25 years later - the most psychotic person she knew.  Helps me understand why she & Mike sent their thanks for quarterbacking Mim's tribute via their daughter.  That early letter puts it all in better perspective.

Then there is the power of yellowing report cards.  The AH HA! moment when it hit that my teachers DID realize they had a seriously messed up kid in their class, that many DID recommend counseling.  Discovering that Peter & Mim were okay students, but nothing like the bright shining super stars I always pictured, they always portrayed.  Seeing that Ian shared some of the same socially isolating behaviors that burdened me for over half my life.



Although John & I don't have love letters, we have scores & scores of cards sent over the years, each kept & cherished.  John's the one who taught me to put the year on the back, helping give each its place in time.  My favorite present from John has always been the tag he's designed for the package.  

A week ago today, a treasured acquaintance died. I am sure that his family - especially his high school sweetheart wife - treasure all the e-mails & online cards that have poured in over the past week.  Social media's ability to immediately connect us in times of tragedy is breathtaking.  But let's not forget to follow up our online condolences & shared memories with a snail mail card or letter.  Just recently, I came across the box of letters Mom & Dad received after Ian's death - the sentiments on the cards & the hand-written notes within rang out as strongly in 2016 as they did in 1959, holding not only names of long-gone friends & family, but recognizable handwriting, too.  

There is a lot to be said for digital communication.  I love blogging, putting it out to the universe, but writing for my own pleasure.  It's comforting to use a simple icon to let others know they're in my heart.  And few things give me more pleasure than seeing a photo of my great-niece!!  

All that said, my favorite photo of my g-n is the one on the hutch, the printed one I can hold in my hands the way I wish she was being held in my arms. The notes we received when Mim passed have special meaning, give lasting comfort, will give solace & smiles years down the road.  And who knows what traces I'm leaving behind for others to use in getting a better balance or understanding!

I love digital media, but will always sing the praises of good old-fashioned ink & paper, envelopes & stamps!

 

Credits:
1) returnofkings.com
2) HuffingtonPost.com
3) MinistryGreetings.com
4) firstoptiononline.com