Finite Space

We’ve all heard the tale, a message in a bottle placed into the sea to drift out in hopes of finding its recipient. The power of the concept is ultimately in the unknown, the sliver of hope that it may reach whom it was intended for. But what’s far more powerful is the most probable outcome, that it drifts away with the tide and gets lost forever.

Keeping a journal, or even writing small notes and thoughts down, is a dying tradition. There isn’t enough room in our heads for the millions of thoughts that race through our minds daily, and what a shame to let them drift away into the unknown. All thoughts have a place, whether they be good, bad or somewhere in-between, they are the building blocks to developing your identity as a human being.

One of the most powerful devices in storytelling is the audience knowing something the protagonist doesn’t. The torture of not being able to reach out and say something is very disturbing to us as empathetic beings. The hardest part of losing someone we care about is not being able communicate the last words you wanted to say — those wasted thoughts we withhold are worthless, they’re just thoughts with no substance. “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

An Irish man I met in Canada once told me “The more we share, the more we have” after insisting I don’t pay him back for lunch. A jarring quote, I wrote it down right away. I stumbled upon it as I was reading through my little memory journal recently and again, it resonated with me so much so that I spread the message to my friends and family — who told their friends and family; and thus, the generosity began to spread. Such a small phrase said in passing, reaching the other side of the world and impacting an audience he never would’ve imagined. His message reached whom he intended, and further.

But what if it hadn’t? Such a small moment in time could’ve easily been forgotten if that sandwich he gave me was overcooked and I focused on the burnt bread rather than writing down the wisdom. The solution to the timeless conundrum of keeping our thoughts from drifting off into a void forever is as simple as putting pen to paper. What’s even more cruel is to not know that you’ve forgotten something at all…

Everyday there could be a quote, a hug from someone you love, a wink, a smile, something that could’ve changed your world, and the world of those around you. Write it down, no matter how small it may seem, or how well you think you’ll remember it; because the library that is our minds is a fascinating place, but only a finite space. Don’t rely on that bottle reaching the shore. A pen and paper can and will change your life, for a life worth living is a life worth documenting.