Waving at Dave

I've kept a journal on my computer for a number of years. My entries were pretty sporadic during my working years; but, after my layoff/retirement in 2000, I've been pretty faithful about keeping it current on a daily basis.

I've found many benefits to this practice. The most obvious is that it provides a written record of events. When my aging brain refuses to recall them on demand, the journal program allows me to search for a word or phrase; and it will locate all the entries that contain that word or phrase.

Another fun benefit is that the journal often allows me to win arguments because I can look back and prove that the event occurred just as I said it did. Of course, if I look back and find that the event didn't occur that way, no one needs to know.

Since I've started blogging, though, I've discovered yet another benefit of journaling. Often, as I'm searching through the journal for something else, I'll come across an entry that provides a little blog fodder.

Following is an example:

Our good friend, Dave, had been laid off by the company where he had worked as an electrical engineer for most of his career. Instead of moping around about the layoff, Dave eagerly decided to pursue a career he had always wanted...as a truck driver. He took the CDL training and was hired by a local auto auction to pick up and deliver vehicles for the auction.

One morning, Dave called us to say that he would be passing through our little town in his Auto Auction truck. So Doug and I jumped into the car and drove down to the corner to watch for him. Our timing was perfect. As we arrived at the corner, we saw a big car hauler coming, so we both waved energetically until the driver waved back at us. Then we saw Dave in the truck that was following the car hauler.

Either Dave's truck route never took him through our little town again or he chose not to call us when it did.