StoryWorth: The One Thing
May. 20th, 2019 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillibetWhat would you save if your house was on fire?
I thought this would be harder for me. I don’t tend to fret about possible disasters, so it’s not something I’d really considered. We have a lot of things and yet I don’t care that much about any of them—in general the things that matter to me do so because they carry memories, or fit their purpose beautifully.
I am assuming, by the way, that Sadie and any people in the house have been safely evacuated before I’m called on to make this decision. Obviously they are the truly important considerations. I’m also assuming that this question doesn’t cover the jewelry that I always wear, or my phone, which I would reflexively grab. That last could be replaced, of course, and I don’t especially care about the thing itself, but having that gone would be an annoying start to the recovery process.
I’m also struck by how much this answer is changed by modern technology. Pictures of my family: copies are in the cloud. Important financial and legal documents: copies are in the cloud. Books, music, and other media: in the cloud. So there are a lot of potential answers that just don’t matter as much any more.
Our beautiful house would be a terrible loss in itself, of course, but I’d also be excited to rebuild and make a new home. I’d probably cry over losing all the family memorabilia that is stored in my basement, but there’s no way I could haul all of that out in time, or choose between any of it, and the most important bits have all been scanned. There are many pieces of art and souvenirs of our travels that I would mourn, but too many to choose from if our lives were in danger.
The one thing that I could think of is the Hirshfeld print.
It’s a drawing of Jason’s uncle, J.D. Cannon, being directed as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing in Central Park by Joe Papp. We received it as a gift from Uncle Jack’s wife, Alice, shown knitting in the foreground, for whom our daughter is named. It has a lot of meaning to us on a number of different levels, and is absolutely irreplaceable. It wouldn’t be worth rushing back into a burning building to save, but if I were running out the door, that’s the one thing I would grab.
I thought this would be harder for me. I don’t tend to fret about possible disasters, so it’s not something I’d really considered. We have a lot of things and yet I don’t care that much about any of them—in general the things that matter to me do so because they carry memories, or fit their purpose beautifully.
I am assuming, by the way, that Sadie and any people in the house have been safely evacuated before I’m called on to make this decision. Obviously they are the truly important considerations. I’m also assuming that this question doesn’t cover the jewelry that I always wear, or my phone, which I would reflexively grab. That last could be replaced, of course, and I don’t especially care about the thing itself, but having that gone would be an annoying start to the recovery process.
I’m also struck by how much this answer is changed by modern technology. Pictures of my family: copies are in the cloud. Important financial and legal documents: copies are in the cloud. Books, music, and other media: in the cloud. So there are a lot of potential answers that just don’t matter as much any more.
Our beautiful house would be a terrible loss in itself, of course, but I’d also be excited to rebuild and make a new home. I’d probably cry over losing all the family memorabilia that is stored in my basement, but there’s no way I could haul all of that out in time, or choose between any of it, and the most important bits have all been scanned. There are many pieces of art and souvenirs of our travels that I would mourn, but too many to choose from if our lives were in danger.
The one thing that I could think of is the Hirshfeld print.
It’s a drawing of Jason’s uncle, J.D. Cannon, being directed as Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing in Central Park by Joe Papp. We received it as a gift from Uncle Jack’s wife, Alice, shown knitting in the foreground, for whom our daughter is named. It has a lot of meaning to us on a number of different levels, and is absolutely irreplaceable. It wouldn’t be worth rushing back into a burning building to save, but if I were running out the door, that’s the one thing I would grab.
A moment of yikes!
Date: 2019-05-20 08:11 pm (UTC)Re: A moment of yikes!
Date: 2019-05-20 08:58 pm (UTC)Re: A moment of yikes!
Date: 2019-05-21 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-05-20 08:36 pm (UTC)That's wonderful.
I didn't know till now that I'd seen Jason's uncle on film.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-20 09:04 pm (UTC)He had a pretty rich theatre career before/between film and tv projects, and he was also the voice of Subaru in the 1990s, after he'd otherwise retired.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-20 09:32 pm (UTC)Just Cool Hand Luke (1967), where I even have a visual memory of him on account of interesting face. I've been meaning to see Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970), though, so I'll look for him there when I do!
no subject
Date: 2019-05-21 04:00 am (UTC)For your print, which looks amazing!, would it make sense to get a very high quality display copy and then put the real one somewhere safer than on a wall? Just a thought.
no subject
Date: 2019-05-23 08:17 pm (UTC)