Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Time Traveler's Email

For a present at my middle school graduation, I received a very special diary from my very favorite teacher. Inscribed on the front page was her wish for me in using the journal:

"I hope you'll use this to record the wonderful woman you're becoming, and in future years you can look back and observe the fine person you've become."

Obviously this was QUITE complimentary (she was incredibly biased in my favor) but I like the idea of using a diary not just to spill your emotions so that you don't blabber to the entire world, but as a record of a moment in time that adds up to something larger.

We may not be able to learn much from our collective history, but hopefully we can each learn something from our personal histories. I certainly hope I'll look back on my blog archives in 10, 20, 30 years and smile, for better or for worse.

And that's precisely what appeals to me about FutureMe.org. In a spin on the classic summer camp letter-writing project, you can write your future self an email today, and they will arrange to send this email to you as late as 2037.

Do you think you would want to read a letter from your younger self?

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