Moon River (Part 3 of 3)

The majority of you reading this will know I’m neither particularly special nor otherwise, but I think I rightfully recognise that my present family care, and my descendants might care too, about what happened on occasions during my lifetime. Exciting or dull, the content shouldn’t matter.

So to cut a long story short (too late) - Families and individuals COULD and SHOULD make more of an effort to record their lives for the benefit of future generations. I spent time researching my family tree in 2006…what a laborious task that was/is!

Even with help from relations that could recall folks who lived and died long before I came into being, it proved to be a lot of effort with little reward.

What I did ascertain is that I know barely anything about anyone before three generations prior to mine. Isn’t that insulting to their memories? Without them and the way they were, I wouldn’t even be here – well certainly not in the physical form I am now. It’s probably neither here or there whether my soul would have ended up in someone else’s body depending on your view of ‘how we come to be’ and karma amongst other theories.

So get yourself a project.

Could you possibly document everything about yourselves?

Highly unlikely is the probable answer.

Even my own efforts, aided by what I think is a good recollection of events that happened to me, caused me to question at many stages if I really ought to record absolutely everything.

But I found a healthy sprinkling is better than nothing and if it only provides the slightest interest for my children’s children’s children and beyond, then I think it will have been worth it.

Hopefully it will give them the opportunity beyond the 21^st century to find out about their ancestors during my generation. A joy I was denied when trying to find out information about my relations who lived in the early 20^th century.

         

Now here’s where I am a tease!

I don’t want my retro diary seen in totality until after I depart this world. The whole point is for the future to look back and see – not for the present to judge.

Indeed my work is ongoing, though I have made a rule of working three years in arrears, and if I can’t remember something I notch it up to it not being worthy of being remembered. 

If it never gets read then so be it, but it’s been tremendously cathartic in the making. 
And as a cherry on top, you might even just feel a bit more at peace with yourself!

Moon River (Part 2 of 3)

So should I try to forget what I can’t help but remember?

Confused yet?

I honestly don’t know if I should try to forget aspects of the past, but back in 2007 I started to write a retro diary anyway.

A manuscript collection of ruses is how it could be described and I wrote it as how I honestly saw certain situations in my life from as far back as I could remember.

I’m realistic enough to acknowledge that my version of events may actually be wholly inaccurate on occasions and for that I would be genuinely sorry to any reader. For starters, my lovely brother is always dubious about the accuracy of my recollections!

But being a great advocate of the fact that there are at least two sides to every story, I respect being corrected ad hoc.

However for the purpose of what I wrote, it’s just how I personally saw events (or non-events) unravel – it’s eternally incredible to me as to what is important to some and not to others, but that’s life I suppose!

Does it sound like I actually do have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? You might not be far wrong. Besides which I wrote my diary year by year of course!

The reason I even began writing it back in 2007 is largely due to Grandparents.

For me I felt very fortunate to have experienced loving Grandparents during my upbringing. Both sets of my Grandparents gave me memories and experiences that will remain with me forever. The stories I’ve heard recounted time and again did, at times, get humorously repetitive, but who’s going to recount them once the storytellers are long gone – or if the memory has failed? Their stories were woven from times when they saved my country and gave me the chance to have the life I have and the lifestyle I live.

But did I write them down? Sadly not at all.

Presently, the most I can tell MY children and Grandchildren about their family history, is a diluted version of events with barely any names to the characters, and frankly I feel that’s just not right. It’s certainly not an honourable memoriam

Third and final part tomorrow! Click here

Moon River (Part 1 of 3)

"I am always drawn back to places where I have lived, the houses and their neighbourhoods..." wrote Truman Capote. What a terrific opening line for a book – am I allowed to nick it? Not that I’ve read the book in question (Breakfast At Tiffany’s) but I have seen the film too many times to remember and although purists may shudder, I am happy not to ever read the book as the film does enough to satisfy and intrigue me.

The opening line attracts me as I feel I actually ‘get’ what Mr Capote means, whilst I rightly or wrongly suspect many people don’t want to...

Maybe it’s just that for many valid differing reasons, they choose not to remember their lives, be it yesterday or yesteryear. That’s fine – each to their own of course, but I’m not sure I mentally have a choice. I think I ‘get’ it because for better or for worse I seem bound to not forget many things that have happened to me. I wouldn’t dare to say for certain if it’s a good or bad thing actually, but I suspect it’s both…and for good measure it has at times been a hindrance to others too - my memory serves me pretty well, and no-one likes a know-it-all.

I’ve fought many rages trying to plead that I never professed to be someone who always has an answer to everything. My battle is usually that I feel an urge to have a perfectionist state where everything is factually accurate – OCD alert! Over the years I’ve realised how wrong my approach is, and I find that the older I get I’m moving more to the state of ‘live and let live’, which is a far healthier and more friendly way to be!

Part 2 in due course...! Click here