The Junk Drawer of Your Mind

(Originally published at Medium.com, June 6, 2013.)

You know the “junk drawer” in your home? Oh, c’mon, everybody has one – it’s generally in the kitchen, but could be the office (actually my desk has one, too) or garage. Wherever yours is, it likely contains the little odds-and-ends that come in handy and are a pain to find if they were in their rightful place. Utility scissors, scotch tape, a couple of tacks, matches, zip ties, a small hammer, batteries, rubber bands … sound familiar?

I just realized that I also create a daily “junk document.” Yep, this very article began with thought fragments on a junk document.

Do you open a new page in your word processor and just start dumping things onto it? I do. Generally first thing in the morning as I peruse news headlines, or as the coffee kicks in; but I can be half way through my day before anything of interest pops up that I’m not immediately sure where to store, expand on, or disseminate.

I may not know what I’m going to do with the information or thoughts; but they’re more than mildly interesting and too important to be fleeting. (And all of my thoughts are fleeting these days, if I don’t write them down!)

Lead by Example – Except in the News

Or … When can you call yourself a “writer”?

Lead by example, right? Argh, are we in for some bad grammar from our kids and grandkids! Quick, delete the news links from your computer!

Why? By reading what passes for journalism these days, our children are definitely getting the wrong impression – that typos and bad grammar are A-OK. How can our schools combat illiteracy with what passes for news articles every day on the Internet?

When I was a kid … oh, quit rolling your eyes. I know that’s a disdainful cliché, but it’s appropriate! BTW, while typing that sentence, the Microsoft grammar tool urged me to change “it’s” meaning “it is” – which is proper – to “its.” See what I mean?

So … when I was in school …

Blast from YOUR Past: Writing a Living Legacy (tm)

This is one of those rare times that I can write one article for both of my primary blogs (Penchant for Penning and Blast from YourPast) – love it! Am I lazy? Probably. But let’s call it an efficient use of time. :-) Either way, my plan is to remind you that your life is important …

In this day and age of prolific publishing and everyone-is-an-author era, we still often forget to write what matters most at “The End.”

This was brought to my attention as I wrote the first book in my series, Blastfrom Your Past! Rock & Roll Radio DJs: the First Five Years 1954-1959. About halfway through, I realized I was helping these men and women leave a legacy for their descendants. Most would likely never write an autobiography. In telling their anecdotal behind-the-microphone tales, I am also leaving a legacy of my own – one that gives back to others. The realization pleased and humbled me.

Autobiographies of us “ordinary” people are rarely written. Do you think they’re only for famous folks or the fleeting, extra-ordinary events that pop up in life? Think again.

I’m talking about “Writing a Living Legacy” …

With the share-ability of the Internet, we are no longer stifled with just one book that truncates our lives at “The End.” In a Living Legacy, long after you have written your last word, future generations can laugh with you, cry with you, exclaim at your antics … and add their own.