My book is with my publisher/editor now and I’m awaiting final clearance to be able to start marketing it. I hope it’s before Christmas!
As I composed my memoirs, two things kinda jumped out at me: 1- how good MY memory is and 2- how BAD most other peoples’ memory is! I talked with dozens of former players over the months I was compiling information and it became quite clear to me that most of them had NO idea what I was talking about when I brought up a game or an incident they were involved in during their high school career. For me…. these things were etched in my mind. It made me start to wonder. I think I have an answer.
My generation growing up… our parents took lots of photos AND they made photo albums to store those memories in. I looked back at them quite often. My parents would sit down with me and we would talk about those things that we did and places we went. I won’t say that I have a “photographic memory” but I do have very clear images of past experiences in my head.
The other thing that helped me recall stories I wanted to tell was that I kept a Journal— still do today! I recorded things that, at the moment, I felt were important. I was able to go back through those journals when I needed to clear up a detail about a game. Writing it down is a big aid to remembering things!
So, for you coaches out there. What am I saying? Take notes. Keep a journal. Write stuff down. A summary of the season, now that it’s over, is a great way to record your thoughts and feelings about what happened during the season. You never know when you might decide one day to write your memoirs! At any rate, being able to look back with clarity is important. Knowing where you came from will help propel you on to greater heights in the future.
