Today is the last day of February. I'm scrolling through memories.
iPhones have a feature where you can look at photos from a certain date. There is also a "one year ago feature". Last night, I picked it.
There was nothing for the 28th. The photos for February 27 were photos of snow in downtown Binghamton, where I worked.
A year ago, we had no idea whatsoever of what was coming to our country. I don't want to dwell on it, but I can't help it.
The photos on my phone are a historical record of sorts. When I scroll through the photos of March, 2020, they start so innocently. Flowers. A special type of onion I'll be blogging about again called the strawberry onion. The first spring flowers, seen on March 5 (that won't happen this year, I'm sure). More flowers. An everyday scene for me, the garden area of the Broome County Public Library.
And then...well, we all know what.
I also decided to clear out some old emails today.
I have too many mailing lists. I deleted about 200 emails worth of newsletters that will never be read.
It's a type of electronic history, and I do enjoy history.
But.
Too much clutter. Not enough time.
I have a feeling I'm not alone in this.
So, will I stop taking photos? No. Will I unsubscribe to those newsletters?
Maybe. Or maybe I should just carve out a chunk of time and read some of my emails. Because email is a type of history, too.
I wonder how much of our history will remain if the Internet fails, or if we all just delete our photos and emails.
In a way, it's a scary thought.
But virtual clutter does weigh us down in a way that physical clutter doesn't. Maybe it doesn't take up space in our physical lives, but it does weigh down our mind.
Do you have this problem?
...I rarely keep emails.
ReplyDeleteMy iPhone is old, with very little storage, so I can't keep photos on it long if I want to take more. My problem is feeling that my photos are "stuck" on the computer, instead of in actual photo albums like in the past. I miss that.
ReplyDeleteI'm learning to clean out my email at the end of the month, which mean that tonight I might just empty it out and start fresh. I hardly get anything worth keeping anymore, and if I do, it goes right into Evernote.
ReplyDeleteEvery day I go through my email and delete. I deal with most of it. The shopping stuff I subscribe to I delete (unless I'm planning to shop there today and need a coupon). A few need to stick around for a few days until I deal with them. But mostly I try to keep it under control.
ReplyDeleteI do need to go through my photos and delete a bunch. I can save them to a hard drive someplace. Many are unnecessary. I keep meaning to do that. Not this week, I suspect.
I recall E-mail being the thing. I hardly use mind anymore.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
honestly, i have the same. I have to do that.
ReplyDeleteCarol C
Yes, decluttering our virtual life is important!
ReplyDeleteI’ve been ‘cleaning out’ in many facets right now. Maybe it’s the ‘spring cleaning’ bug? But all the extra stuff is going. Virtual. Material. And I feel so much lighter!
ReplyDeleteWith a recent message that my iCloud storage is almost full, I am feeling a little overwhelmed by virtual clutter. Time to start deleting, I guess!
ReplyDeleteI love how phone photos are wonderful, quick, candid histories of our lives. Great reminder.
ReplyDeleteI love how phone photos are wonderful, quick, candid histories of our lives. Great reminder.
ReplyDelete