My mom sent me 12 audio cassettes recently. She had no idea what was on them. After transferring them to a digital format, I discovered hours of my family’s personal history. There was an interview with my great-grandfather with more than you’d ever want to know about hay baling. But the most exciting aspects of these tapes was the “found audio”. My father would set his boxy black Norelco tape recorder on a table and just let it run. Or he would poke the microphone around corners recording casual conversations. He surreptiously recorded hours of what most people may think of as mundane family life.  Heard again after more than 30 years, the mundane is now precious bits of lost lives. There are three of my four grandparents recalling their first or best Christmas memory. But one of my favorites is this bit of audio that my dad captured in 1970 as my youngest brother, then 5, sings “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”.

Jim Sings Raindrops-1970

Preserving your past can be so much richer than recording dates from a tombstone. It’s important to realize that your past is happening now.  Make use of the new slim cameras that can record audio and video and can be slipped into almost any pocket. You may not capture gold medal material every time you record something. But, believe me, through the prism of 40 years, the mundane becomes a potent family memory and is invaluable to remind you of who you once were.