We have all heard the expression, leaving a paper trail, and more recently leaving your digital footprint. It is certainly true on both accounts, at least with me it is. I went looking for a document and discovered the tremendous amount of paper I have. Files and folders full of paper. The majority of it relates to research on the family tree but there is plenty of the other stuff around. I keep a notepad on my desk beside the computer. I have taken to saving those after they are filled. Not sure why I do but I have quite a number of them, filled with notes on various topics, scribbles of ideas and dates, lots of dates. So, I'm not leaving a paper trail, it's becoming more of a superhighway! I really need to start throwing some of that stuff away.
The thing is this, if I were someone famous all these papers would be preserved. Then others would be interested in anything I wrote. You hear about discoveries made concerning documents from celebrities and how much value is placed upon them. The most obvious, the glaring one being a simple autograph. People are willing to spend a good deal of money just to have a signature. It is something that always fascinated me. Not the autograph but why anyone would spend money to get one. And that was doubly so when the signature would be someone you didn't even meet. I don't believe there is a single thing anyone would pay a single dime for that I signed. After all, these days I don't even sign a check. LOL, not that my checks would be worth a whole lot.
In all of this stuff, these papers and documents I have, very few are written in someone else's hand. What I mean is, I don't have much in the way of letters or cards written by my parents, grandparents or siblings. I don't save Christmas cards or birthday cards given to me. They usually lie around for a few weeks before being discarded. Cards being discarded, I haven't really thought about that before now. If you send it to the wrong person is that a miscard? Well, whatever the case is I don't have many things with autographs on them. Some of the things I have written are in cursive. Not very good cursive, penmanship wasn't my strongest subject, and it will be a struggle for others to read. More like reading hieroglyphics!
I'm thinking at some point I may write something for all the grandkids to keep as an example of ancient writing they could show to their children. Perhaps record a bit of news, telling the story in my own words. Maybe like the time before cell phones and selfies! Seriously though I would pick something a bit more memorable, like the story of 9/11 or when Trump was President. Those are things that will be remembered and taught in history classes in the future. Perhaps the overturning of Roe V Wade that sort of thing. Or maybe something more personal, like how I met Grandma and some of the adventures we had together. Would be a shock, I'm sure! When they are old enough, they will be able to handle that. On second thought, maybe not, why expose that we are normal, everyday people. We never did anything foolish or wrong, not us. That isn't where the trail will lead, not if I write the signposts! Something to think about.
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