Life Goes On

Mesa Verdes - Once upon a time there were people living here, and then.....?

 I don’t know whether it’s useful, or not, but leafing through old files is somewhat interesting. Helps not only to pass the time on a rainy day, but brings to light creative attempts,  all but forgotten. Seems that I was exploring writing an autobiography while exploring Pages software. I wrote several pages then gave it up and turned to Blurb’s software, and went in an entirely different direction. But, as I’m in the habit of doing, saving just about everything that I’ve written and drawn in the last couple of decades, I saved this page as a possible introduction for my book…..never written.

I was in the Mountainview Shopping Mall at Midland the other day and paused while passing by the Coles book store to take a look at their sale displays. Amongst the books was an autobiography written by one of our Prime Ministers, Jean Chretien. The book had hit the shelves only a few months back, and now it was being sold off marked down from its original price of some thirty dollars, to just $5.95.

I couldn’t help but think that, here’s a man that devoted years of his life to Canadian politics, was a good Prime Minister, and now few are interested in reading about his life struggle. I reflected that I’d accomplished not a helluva lot with my life, and was in the midst of writing my own autobiography. I picked up the book and leafed through the pages, momentarily thinking that I might purchase it. Sad, I thought, that no one seems to be interested in Chretien’s life history. If no one was interested in reading his history why, I thought, would anyone be interested in reading about mine? I put the book back on the pile and set off for home somewhat disillusioned, questioning my putting a lot of effort into telling my story if no one was ever going to read it. Then, I thought, it doesn’t really matter. Writing about one’s past helps one to remember, and remembering is important, as one grows older. Holding on to the past, reliving events, and wondering what if, isn’t a bad thing. “Of course”, I said out loud having the need to reassure myself that what I was doing was not entirely without purpose, “there’s just the chance that following my demise someone might just discover my digital files and read a few pages”. Purpose enough, I reasoned, to continue writing. So, I continued to write, and to tell the truth I quite enjoy writing about me, myself, and I. As well, I quite enjoy my visits with my ghosts, those that didn’t write, but are now remembered.

May 2011. 

Somewhat dated, don’t you think? Coles book store once one of the largest bookstores in Ontario, gone the way of the Dodo. We now have a tiny, hole in the wall, bookstore on the Main Street, owned and operated by two women who used to work at Coles. As for Mountainview Shopping Mall, also history. The mall used to be a place where if you walked from one end to the other  several times, it would count as a mile. It was a place where seniors went to keep physically fit…. in all kinds of weather, or if you weren’t a walker you could sit in a small open restaurant and sip a coffee and be social. Things change, although not necessarily for the good of everyone.

As for someone discovering our digital files, also a dream as, what with technology advancing, or so “they” say, our files become obsolete as we type. However, life goes on….