My grandpa showed me his old address book last Christmas

We were at his house in Spokane, and he pulled this little leather book from his desk. It was filled with names, phone numbers, and notes in his shaky handwriting. He pointed to an entry for a friend who passed away years ago and said, 'I can't just delete him.' He explained how he'd add little notes next to names, like 'likes black coffee' or 'wife's name is Susan,' things a phone contact list never holds. I watched him look up a number, his finger slowly moving down the page. It took a full minute, but he said the act of looking helped him remember the person better. Now I keep a small notebook in my kitchen drawer for the same thing. Does anyone else find they remember people better when they write things down by hand?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_joel5d ago

That line about "the act of looking helped him remember the person better" really got me. I read something similar about how the physical motion of writing ties memories to the page. Do you find your notebook helps you recall little details you'd forget otherwise?

sage_fox5d ago

Technology makes everything faster but also more forgettable. Writing things down forces your brain to actually process the info instead of just storing it. Your grandpa was onto something real with that little book.