When I was a kid, I used to visit my grandmother in Corpus Christi pretty much every summer. I would spend a couple of weeks at her house, and I got to meet all of her church and bridge-playing friends. You know, pretty much every kid's dream, right? Actually, her friends were always so intently interested in me that it was fun for the most part. One of them, Leon Braskamp, used to take me swimming at the pool at Del Mar College. Even then, he struck me as very serious, but he treated me like a king.
Once, when I took a trip with my grandmother to the bank and to the (then) newly constructed City Hall, I saw something that I haven't ever forgotten. It was a time capsule embedded in the floor. I don't recall the year that it was going to be opened, but I do remember thinking that it was a long time (probably 50 years or more).
Since that day, time capsules have always been intriguing to me. One such time capsule exists in my mother's house. It's a toy chest that my kids still like to play with, unless they are distracted by video games. It contains toys from my own childhood. Steve Austin, famous as the Six Million Dollar Man, is there, along with his space capsule. Interestingly, the capsule seems more like a cylindrical coffin when I think about it now. How in the heck did he go to the bathroom, anyway? Bionically, that's how.
Also, there is an "Animal" puppet from the Muppet Show. That was one of my favorites when I was a kid. I wanted to be a ventriloquist for a season, then I realized how lame that was. There's a baseball glove from when I was six years old, along with my Star Wars action figures (probably worth some money these days, even though C3PO is missing a leg).
So, back to time capsules. I know that if I had created one in high school, it would include at least one pair of parachute pants, along with an R.E.M. or Def Leppard album (or Springsteen), a bottle of Obsession cologne, and a wine cooler. Sadly, those items would define a lot about my teenage years.
If you had an opportunity to create a time capsule today, what would you put in there?
I have an easy answer for this one, because I am creating it right now:
My writing about my family and current experiences will serve as the finest time capsule that I can imagine for future generations.
It's weird to think that someday, one of my descendants might utter this phrase, "My great-grandfather was an early-era blogger. Here are his archives."
I am a bibliophile (I love books), and when I was in college, I worked in the library during my freshman year in Special Collections. This is a special library science term meaning "REALLY Old Books that No One Can Check Out". I used to enjoy spending time alone in that room, with all of those old dusty volumes. In my mind's eye, I can see my kids delving into my time capsule, reading funny stories about their youth, and understanding my love for them in an even deeper way.
Now you understand why I write about myself and my family. I am documenting our history.
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Very cool J. I have always had the desire to write a book...not a smut or garbage fiction book, but a book that will positively influence the lives of those who come read it. I've been writing it for about 5 months. I want to leave this as a legacy for my children. We all have such great accomplishments and failures...If I could only pick the brains of my predecessors. WE have that opportunity now. This is great stuff here J.
My girls and I have time capsules that we open every year. they are letters to ourselves about what we are feeling right now and our hopes for tomorrow. In a kids life it is amazing how things can change in a year. Some of the worries you had are a laugh right now and it is good to see how important things can really be in the grand scheme of things.
Jason, I have a cedar chest full of time capsule fodder. My favorite is a United States Flag with 48 stars that was one of my great great grandfathers. Now my children's favorite are knives my Dad brought back from World War II. I also have art work, hand prints, the harness that my daughter was in when they found she had a displaced hip at 4 months old etc. etc. etc.
LARRY - That is AWESOME! I want to write at least one book, but I need the proper inspiration, I think. Kudos to you for moving forward with your project - can I get an autographed copy when it's finished?
DINAH - That is a wonderful idea, and I applaud you for doing this. Thanks for your comments!
MARCHEL - Your time capsule sounds truly inspiring. That is simply terrific. Thanks for stopping by!
Before I even got to the part in your post where you referred to your writing as a time capsule, I was there with you. I am the same way. I suppose that is why I write so much about the 'stuff' that has happened in my life. It is the best way to preserve history. Can you imagine what history class would be like now if it had not been preserved in writing? Interesting though, huh? I mean...the artifacts are great. BUT...if we did not have the written diaries of great men and The Bible and other written documents...what good would the artifacts really be?
GBU, my brother!
Jason, WELL, just another wonderful reason to blog !! I love the library also - just never take time to go now.. God bless,
Jason, Funny I had just tought about making a time capsule with my 7-yr-old. And oh, yes I remember those parachute pants. Wonder how many of the youth of today would know what we are talking about! ~Rita
I created a time capsule when I was about 10. I buried it under a pear tree in our yard.
I often think about it - I remember the pictures of my mom and dad that I put in there. I don't remember much else. I do know that I will never see it again. Someone else owns the property now and I'm not exactly sure that I DID bury it under the pear tree...maybe I could n't dig the hole there and I stuck it somewhere else...I just remember STARTING at the pear tree.
It was in an old glass Tang jar.
Someone, someday, will find it...if the lid didn't rust away and let water destroy the contents! LOL.
Jason, I would put my ancient comic book collection in my time capsule, especially the early Superman ones. That and my model of the Lunar Excursion Module and the Starship Enterprise.
Jason this would be a great idea for a Contest!.......love the story and the memories..........and that your mom saved your 'time capsule of toys' for your kids........how special...:-)
Gosh, Jason, you must have tons of stuff by now. I have heard about time capsules but never thought about them seriously. It's an intriguing concept. I would have to get a big one, since I have too much junk.
Like your analogy of blogs as short stories or our own time capusle.
Jason, I like this. We are fortunate around our house because my wife is a scrap booking queen so instead of piling all the pictures in cardboard boxes or these days, storing them on the external hard drie. She puts them into books and journals too. I would put them all in the capsule (along with a box of my favorite recipes!
hmm in the 80's that would have been an easy question. When thinking a bout technology; blackberry with bluetooth, quad core motherboard, Blueray dvd, (trying to keep it small so it can fit in a box). That's alll we got for now as this decade is very much anything goes these days so i'ts hard to pinpoint what constitutes this time period other than the technology we use day to day.
Actually we did the time capsule thing back in elementary school...I would even know where to go dig it up because I haven't been back to the area in NY since the 70's. Maybe I could dig up my favorite underwear:)
What a great idea, we actually have a big plastic box for each of our children that has now been moved to the basement, in it is everything from photos, awards, papers from school they wanted to keep, report cards, graduation hats, tassels. Everything they would ever want to keep for prosterity.
Time capsules are wonderful! I am not sure what I would put in mine but you have definitely given me something to think about! For the latter part of your post - I, too, could sit in a room with dusty volumes for DAYS! I collect cookbooks and have an amazing lot. One of my finest is a hardbound by Vincent Price and his wife, Mary that has a copyright of 1965. By far, not my oldest, but one of my most treaured. Sorry, Jason, I know that got a little off topic but, I love old books as well. Off to think about the Finley time capsule.
Jason...
My dad kept a journal for most of his adult life. Unfortunately, when he died, my mother threw them away. Seems that they were a little too personal, and she didn't want some of his "humanity" made public.
I hate to think about what was lost. There were over twenty separate journals, and I'll bet our family history was well documented, but now all is lost!
Good post, we all need to preserve our family history!
I haven't thought about time capsules in many years. It didn't occur to me blogging would be considered a way of preserving our 'place' in time. Thanks for putting that thought in my head.
BTW- My daughers seem to have created thier own in thier closets.
Interesting question. I am not sure what I would add. I think its sweet (thats right I used that word) that you want to share your blogs with the future. I am sure some of our current electronics will seem ridiculous to the future. Even some of the phones we find to be really really small will be a collectors item one day.
Cool post, now you have everybody thinking !!!
I would love to put food in it, but that is probably not a good idea, maybe I will settle for recipes. . . and pictures of the dish.
Thank you, now I am on a mission
Anne
Jason, I love this and think your descendants will find it fascinating. Great post... Made me think what would I want someone to know... I also love books and am always reading about 5 at once
I have a rubbermaid tub for each of my children full of their school papers and artwork from every grade. What a fun afternoon that will be to pull those out and go through them. When we were preparing to sell our house, the family gathered in the family room in the basement and we went through each and every box of the kids' toys so they could decide what could be sold and what was going to move to the new home. It was like Christmas morning, as they came across old favorites. All of the "keepers" are in my attic waiting for the grandchildren to arrive.
I have a box in the attic of my keepsakes...I don't even remember what is in there. I'll have to check it out now!
I have never made a time capsule before, but if I did I would probably have books in there as well. I love to read and do as often as possible. I would also have my son's baby book and video of his sonogram and the scrapbook with all of his school mementos.
Jason - I do very similiar things. I have several plastic containers , one for each child and one for my husband and I . All the memories are in there. I still have Joshua's hat that was placed on his head immediatly following his birth. he is now 16 ! Every once in a while I pulll them out and just reflect. Its a really great moment !
By the way : I tagged you, check out my blog !
Yes very interesting these time capsules. This past weekend I was visiting San Antonio for the first time and of course visited the Alamo. It is hard to stand there with all the buildings surrounding it and try and imagine just open fields being there. What do you think the people from the Alamo would think today if they could see what it looks like today. For me the Alamo is its own time capsule.
That is too cool. I wish I had a "time capsule" with my old toys in it. I had an awesome barbie collection! LOL
Jason, somehow I remember making a time capsule, both with a class in junior high and a personal one. Somehow my knowledge of where and when the time capsules are supposed to be opened is lost. However, you make a good point that a blog is like an online time capsule.
My grandad put a time capsule in a building once. Very few people know where it is.
What a good idea to put together a time capsule Jason. I think time capsules are so neat! I remember we put together a time capsule in elementary school.
I leave a mini-time capsule in every place I've lived. It's a small item that has meaning to me... maybe not to the person who discovers it. In one place it's a Babe Ruth baseball card... in another my favorite book. I guess it's my way of leaving a bit of myself.
JASON - I like to think of my blog as a virtual time capsule. Maybe as my kids get older, we will think about some other ways to capture the moments.
Jason, what a great blog, and some very interesting ideas. I think my attic is a time capsule to my childrens' childhood. I also have a small cedar chest with some of the "special" clothes they had- their Boy Scout and Girl Scout sashes with badges, my daughters first dance recital tutu, a Pittsburgh Penguin jersey from when my son was about 7 and loved Mario, and of course their snowsuit from when they were infants. No room in that cedar chest for any of my clothes!
Great idea to start making one. Maybe I can get my kids, who are grown now, to add a differnt item every year, to pass down to their grandchildren some day.
Linda
A time capsule is a great idea and I think I'm going to do one the day we get back from Vacation, I don't know why I didn't think of that before.
Todd