Back-up Your Life

By: Peggy Willms

(5 min read)

Last week you may or may not have caught my Mercury Retrograde Is NOT My Problem blog. Here is a quick overview in case you didn’t see it or in case your memory serves you about as well as mine sometimes does, and you already forgot. Here you go.

I have had more than a few hot issues with technology and hardware issues over the past several years and especially the last month. The struggle is real. It doesn’t matter if it is a headset, mic, camera, mouse, laptop, or external keyboard; they all have gotten a bit pissed off and decided to go on strike.

Today, I will focus on the good ole external backup drives of which “something” has destroyed three of them in the last year. Me or ransomware, spyware, Zuckerberg, Alexa, or Jesus have ruined these lovely things. Who knows.

But, per usual, we are going to take a little twistaroo. I ask you, what else can we use a backup drive for?

Growing up over the years, I have not been known to do a hell of a lot of reminiscing unless I am in a group setting, and we are all drumming up who rode the school bus, who got their dress pulled up to reveal their panties or who lost their class ring in a foreign country while traveling for sports. “Uh, those memories would be mine, Bob.” But to my point, I don’t sit around scrolling through memories of the good old days or crying over a photo of someone who passed on 12 years ago. #sorrynotsorry #sayitisntsobutitsso #justmesogetoffmycase

This is where you lean back, take a swig of that java, take a deep breath, and take off your judgment hat because I am actually going to be on your side this time.

Over the years, I have documented my life and the people in it. I have thousands of photos from births, deaths, animals, children, sports, projects, houses, cars, accidents, surgeries, vacations, geography, and more. I have documented the majority of every single one of those events in writing as well. But that is sort of where the rubber meets the road. I am kind of a “Current Events Talker.” Not like the actual meaning of current events. I am the here and now – ‘what is up’ not ‘what was up’ girl.

Looking back, when the flash went off or the pen hit the paper, it seems like all those hard-copy memories are now a microchip in my hard drive of life. And they are all stored in the back of my head. They are filed nicely in their proper folder until I need to retrieve one of them for a reboot conversation.

I have always shared my life moments with others. I am the one that makes the scrapbooks, frames a special photo for a gift, or writes a personal story or poem to show my adoration. Again, it is kind of like I cap it off there.

You might be thinking I am chatting about this because I have detected a bit of a memory problem in myself, and I am living in regret. But you see, that is not the issue here, actually quite the opposite. I have a killer memory. I don’t spend time keeping them dusted off unless I am “forced” to. Not forced in a literal way, but things don’t pop up for me until the time comes when I need to take the memory ball out of the tube like in the movie Inside Out, because there is a reason to chat about it. If someone comments, it is a holiday dinner, or I am asked about something in particular, I just reach in for that memory ball…and bam we get the convo rolling.

I agree that capturing moments are precious and last but a millisecond in time. I agree that quickly getting back on the Move Forward Trail and not enjoying our experiences can be sad as we cannot always get those minutes back. But don’t be sad for me. It is all good. I do not need counseling or coaching for regression or non-regression therapy or whatever it is called. I am designed to do what I must do in the moment, store the info, pull it up when needed, and move on. Peggy Roboto, Ms. Forgoto.

Finally, we are looping back. I wish there were an external “human memory” backup drive. Think about it. You could experience a trip to the beach today and take a literal photo; then, of course, you have your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors from the moment. What if, when you arrive back home, you could plug in a 100 Terabyte drive and back up the event? What???

You could have your own filing system. You might have a Vacation folder with a Myrtle Beach subfolder. You might be someone who would instead put it under a feeling folder. Joy might be your main folder. What fricking food for thought this is. Quite a chomper, eh?

I have always imagined myself busy. I don’t have visions sitting on the porch swing telling stories of the when and where’s. I see myself leveling up until I cannot. I will do more and help more. I have had three visions of me living to be 102 years old. I know where I am, what I am doing, and who finds me.

Until then, I will be writing, talking, and still helping others see how smart, brave and strong they are. However, I think it would be handy to pull out a few hard drives and zoom through them if my great-great-great-grandson stops by. It would also be fantastic proof when I need to defend my memory when people think I have gone off my rocker.

I am well aware that few human beings here in the 3-D world are actual “inventors.” Most of the time, we think we are pure genius, and we are creating something never seen when in fact, we are 532 years behind the originator. Or an alien-life planet has already planted the thought in us eons ago. Due to this observation, I realize that my brilliant idea regarding a human memory back-up drive is likely to exist somewhere. I bet I will see it advertised on CNN by 6 p.m. tonight.

But for now, I am left wondering, given my history with hardware devices, how many damn backup drives would I be sending in for repair?

Peggy Willms
                                                                     All Things Wellness, LLC
                                                                  peggy@allthingswellness.com

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