A Strange Thing

I want to tell you about a strange thing, or shall I say, event?

I was working on the book I am writing.  I was involved in searching from one computer file to another, selecting items to include in what I was writing.  When I got ready to close down the research files and return to my main writing document, it happened.  As I selected that document I received one of those MS Word screens that asked, “Do you want to return to the saved document?”  I didn’t think about that statement this time.  I just clicked on “Yes.”

Big mistake!  I lost several pages of what I had written, plus the research that I had added to the document. %$&#@%@!  I spent several hours trying to retrieve what is referred to as the “autosaved document.”  I Looked up help files, searched the computer files, recycle bin, online help—nothing suggested turned out to be anything I could find in my computer.  I finally gave up the search, closed my document (after SAVING it!) and went on to other things.

But, here is the strange thing.  I could not get it out of my mind.  I have lost several pages of work!  It completely sent me into what I can only describe as a form of “writer’s block.”  I could not think of a way to get started again.  Not only that, but I didn’t even want to read anything else.  That was a problem because I am reading a very interesting new book that the author would like me to review for him.  In fact, right now, I took a break from reading it because the notion of this article came to mind.

And here is another thing that occurred.  I found myself thinking about how our mind works, and sometimes, doesn’t.  I thought about the search for files that I embarked upon after losing the work is so much like trying to remember things after aging has begun to take the edge off our memory cells.  You begin searching around in that big hollow space that used to be your brain.  You try to get the feel of the end of your tongue, where lost names and words usually are hiding and escaping our recall.

Now, in the same way we manage to go on even if we cannot recall a name or a word, suddenly, here I am “going on.”  I am writing.  It doesn’t make any difference what is being written, except I hope it will resonate with you in some way. To me, this is simply another example of how everything in our life is somehow important and related in some way to everything else.  Because I believe this is true, I know I can now return to my book and pick up where I left off.  Maybe I won’t recreate exactly what I had before, but maybe what I write this time will be even better.

Someday, if I decide to publish what I write, you may have an opportunity to find out!