Tick-Tock

I’m Writing Daily Before I Start Forgetting My Stories

The Eventual End of My Writer’s Journey is Coming

I’ve had an exceptional memory all of my life. Part of it comes from my mother teaching me to read at the age of 3. By the time I entered 1st grade as a 5-year-old, I could easily read kids books. Soon, I was checking out 20 books at a time, the maximum our public library would allow us to take at once.

Then I’d return in a couple of days and take 20 more. Thanks, Mom.

Inheriting my mother’s love for reading served me well. All of that early brain stimulation has helped me in life. Reading and learning at a young age helps foster creativity. I feel that it’s also enhanced my memory to some degree.

I remember a LOT, even small details from way back. Not long ago, I was looking through our old family photo albums at my mother’s house. I could name every kid in my first-grade class photo. Most of them, their first and last name. My mother looked at me in disbelief.

My brother and I run TV and movie quotes from thirty to forty years ago back and forth. My father laughs at this and always seems amazed at the random things we remember. He’s reaching the age where it’s not always easy to recall many of them.

This has me worried a bit about my future. I don’t want to lose this exceptional memory of mine. The clock is ticking and I want to document as much as possible in my writing before the memories start to fade and eventually, disappear.

I started doing this years ago, with social media. When Facebook was new, I remember thinking about my dad’s old journals. He would purchase a day planner every year and each evening, he would write a brief rundown of what he did that day. He’s been doing this for as long as I can remember.

He has over 50 of those planners. I used to love reading them when I was a kid and more so as a teenager. It was interesting to see what he did daily and it was especially cool when he’d mention me. It will be bittersweet to read all of the ones he’s written during the time I’ve been an adult after he has passed on.

I started doing the same with Facebook. Not as much of a daily account of everything I did, but I certainly posted about the things that stood out. Mainly about my Bride and our children. Special events they had, funny things they said, and tons of photos and videos.

I’m glad that I did this. I look back through fifteen years of Facebook posts and often laugh. Some bring me to tears. Occasionally, I’ve forgotten about things that I was fortunate enough to post about.

This is why writing here daily on Medium is so important to me. I’ll be 50 this October. I realize that I’m playing the back 9 at this stage of my life, thinking of it as a round of golf. I might even be up to Hole 15 or 16 at this point. We never know when our number might be up.

I’d like to think that I have many more years ahead, but who knows for sure? The leading cause of death among men my age is heart attack. Lord knows I enjoy food far more than going to the gym. Though I’m working on the frequency of my workouts, there is still no guarantee I’ll live to see my 70s or 80s.

So I wake up and I write. I have a lot to say. I can be pretty opinionated at times about things like politics, religion, and the way people treat other humans. I try to relate my experiences and memories to these pieces. I enjoy infusing a little humor into them, too.

My favorite type of writing is humor writing. I’ve always enjoyed making people laugh. Remembering funny life experiences and memories gives me ideas constantly. People sometimes mention that they have no idea how I can write stories daily on Medium with such consistency.

It’s not that difficult for me. My brain moves like a tornado inside my head. I am all over the place with thoughts, ideas, and stories. Trying to decide on which ones to actually use is the hardest part for me.

I want to get these ideas written, edited, and published before they are long gone. A fair amount of them have already likely disappeared. Erased from existence. So for me, writing is a daily battle. One that I’m more than happy to engage in.

I’ve written close to 1000 articles now on Medium. So many of them differ from the next in numerous ways. But again, that’s how my mind works. It’s all over the place every single day. I have so many thoughts going on, and I find so many things in life humorous.

I have to write. Someday, these stories will be all that’s left of me, other than the memories that the people who knew me personally have of us together. I want those loved ones and friends to be able to take a deep dive into the person that The Professor once was.

I’m closing in on 55,000 followers in just over two years of Medium writing. I’d love to have double, triple, or twenty times that many once I’ve published my final article. If my health doesn’t end my writing prematurely, I’ll be in a final foot race with my brain.

My pace at this stage is still strong. But eventually, my brain is going to catch up. The memories I draw from will become harder and harder to recall. There will be a point when I am no longer able to log onto Medium and compose new articles, stories, and adventures for people to read.

I wonder if I’ll realize it’s happening. It will be a sad time when the elderly version of me sits in front of his laptop and struggles to begin writing a new piece. Will it be easier to just close the lid, flip on the TV, and snuggle with my dog? Or will I be able to power through it and write that one great story that will keep my fans engaged for at least one more day?

We’ll see. My story has no ending, yet. To be continued. &:^)

© 2024 Jason Provencio. All rights reserved.