Day 2392 - The Wall of Fame

Ever wonder what your Wall of Fame would look like?

In the lead up to my hubsters BIG BIRTHDAY celebrations this year he was a tad grumpy.  He wasn't much into this ageing business and was feeling a bit mid-life-crisisey.  He still wanted a party though. Not sure if the original purpose of the party was celebration or commiseration, but the party was non-negotiable.  It had to happen, it had to be BIG and it had to have a retro 80s basketball theme.



Which is what he got.  Shorty shorts, big hair, long socks and sweat bands.

A family cuddle in our retro-basketball gear
Yes, I'm the ref. Just so there's no mistaking who's boss.

As with any BIG BIRTHDAY we were always going to do a photo wall to celebrate his growth into the amazing man he has become.

But it wasn't until an offhanded comment in the hot tub that I decided to create him a Wall of Fame.

He'd mentioned that he was once in the newspaper for a basketball game where he'd helped take the team to victory.  He seemed to recall it was a school boys game and that there was a photo of him mid-dunk.

I did what any good investigative wife would do and I googled him.

Google took me deeper into the inter-webs than I'd expected to go to a special hidey hole in the back corner of the National Library of Australia.

I was astounded to discover that the National Library of Australia appears to have every copy of the Canberra Times that ever existed and that "the Trove" search engines found multiple articles referencing my husband's name spanning 20 years of basketball achievements in the ACT.

After much excitement and an entire printer full of ink, I was able to create not just a photo wall, but a Wall of Fame.

Did you know that you could go to the NLA website and find scans of newspaper articles spanning years?

Of course you did, because you're clever.

To be honest I'd never given it much thought.  I kind of figured all that stuff was still stuck in microfiche format where you physically had to visit your local library to view microscopic articles that you spend hours finding via a special library catalogue code.

I pity the poor person who has to sit and clip and scan all day, but I applaud the NLA for ensuring Australian history is kept well preserved in the written word, and easily accessible for all Aussies to enjoy.

It got me to wondering if they keep all Australian newspapers.

It also got me to wondering if  we were to search ourselves if we'd find our names pop up from eons ago.

The hubster actually didn't know (or at least he didn't remember) that he'd been mentioned so many times over the years.  There were sporting articles on tennis, ten pin bowling and basketball that all had his name "up in lights" outlining his contribution to the game.  Simple sentences showing his brilliance both on the court as a player and off the court as a coach.  There were also articles where he'd been interviewed about comics (he'd forgotten about those).

It was an interesting exercise and one that turned a potential mid-life-crisis and woe-is-me moment into a celebration of self.

Whether there be newspaper clippings or not, I think we should all have a Wall of Fame to remind us of who we were, who we've become and who we've yet to be.  Something like a visual resume to show us that we can accomplish things and that we do add value to the world.  Something to encourage us to keep on going and to be proud of our age rather than be disheartened by it.

Whether it be in the public domain or something more private like our school certificates, the odd award, a thank you letter, a friendship card or a bunch of dried roses from a significant moment in life, these things remind us that we have done stuff and that we are recognised for what we've done.

Reflecting on what we've done well in life helps us to age positively.

What do you think?

Have you ever created a Wall of Fame?

What would your Wall of Fame look like?

When's your next BIG BIRTHDAY?