YOUR MEMORY

Reasons Why Your Memories Deserve More Than a Passing Thought

In the old days, we would use all sorts of makeshift containers to keep our precious memories like Polaroids, letters, postcards, and other sentimental items. It worked out back then, but now a shoebox seems primitive and unsecure compared to the technologies we have now.
Whether you want to store your physical keepsakes in a secured vault case or archive your important digital files in an encrypted external hard drive, the important thing is that you find the best solution to keep your memories safe. Here are seven reasons why the outdated shoebox won't cut it anymore.

1. They Are a Record of Your Family History
Memories in the form of photographs, videos, and even secret family recipes all make up your overall family history. You, as a member of a family, contribute your own unique perspective to the family tree. Likewise, the memorabilia and personal keepsakes of departed loved ones contribute to the family history by sharing their unique stories. A shoebox seems basic and fragile when you look at it from this perspective. Would you keep a valuable jewel in a shoebox? No, you place it in a museum so that it lasts forever and can be admired by everyone who sees it.

2. Memories Are Worth Sharing
Why keep your keepsakes in a shoebox that just gathers dust in an attic or closet? Precious memories are worth sharing to your loved ones and friends. Your personal experiences, when collected, make up a vast library of knowledge that others may learn from. So, don't just tuck away those invaluable memories in a tattered shoebox--share them with close friends and loved ones.

3. Keeping Digital Versions as Back-Up
Gather all those old film photographs and paper ephemera and digitize them. You can even transfer old videotapes by using affordable software and cables. That way, you can share those old physical memories by converting them into digital ones. Another benefit of digitizing physical copies of photos is that in the event the originals become lost or damaged, you'll have a back-up copy in your computer to make reproductions with. So, get those old Polaroids and postcards out of your shoebox and send them to the scanner. When you read the reactions from loved ones, you'll be glad that you took the time to make them available on your Memories Timeline.

4. Memories Teach Future Generations
By taking old photos and other keepsakes out of your old memory box and featuring them in your Memories Timeline, you are actually teaching the younger generations in your family about their ancestors. History is taught in school for a reason. We learn from the past so that we may make a brighter future. You may not think your own memories and life experiences are worth viewing, but many others might see a lesson or nugget of wisdom. Old travel photos or graduation portraits might inspire the next generation to live life to the fullest, and to set meaningful goals in their lives. You should also share the memories of family members who have departed, so that the future generation can see the incredible men and women who planted the family tree.

5. Better Organisation
A memory box, or shoebox, may seem like a good way to organise physical memorabilia, but all too often they just become boxes that contain a jumbled mess. By collecting, organising, and digitising your photos, you can have all the media files centralised. This allow you to access them quickly as well as make it easier for others to view them. Uploading and featuring your photos, videos, and text in a single website, like a Memories Timeline, will make navigation simple for loved ones around the world.

6. Memories Are Meant to Be Archived
The events that unfold in our daily lives are fleeting. The future quickly becomes the present, and the present becomes the past within seconds. However, memories are frozen in time. They are the pause button, or freeze-frame, of our life's movie. That's why they are invaluable. Because they're important, you want to place them somewhere safer and more easily accessible than a memory box. As suggested earlier, you should take some time out of your weekend to digitize old photos and videos, if you haven't done so already. In today's age, there are many secure ways to archive our beautiful memories, such as an encrypted external hard drive, a cloud drive, or in the server of a trusted website like Memories.

7. Memories Remind Us How Far We've Come
When you keep things inside a shoebox and tuck it away in some dark corner of our house, you are more likely to end up forgetting about it. It's literally and mentally hidden. While, yes, you shouldn't live in the past because the present moment is a gift, it is still worth re-visiting good memories from time to time. If they're in a shoebox, that "time to time" might be a decade or more. Memories remind us how far we've come in life and how much we've grown as a person. Having them in a more accessible place, like a Memories Timeline, can remind you the beautiful life you've lived when you're feeling down. Your memories help you mark your past accomplishments and also remind you of your memories with loved ones--the people who helped you become who you are today.

Yeah, I have a bunch of 8 mm movies my Dad made, from my folks' wedding in 1941 through the 1960s. I need to get them transferred over to digital, but the film is so fragile I'm not sure if it can be done.

The longer you wait, the chances are getting shorter Hawk. Getter done ...