The Back Story

My wife and I have a brass bed that belonged to my great-great grandparents. Along with the bed came their dresser. Though I don't know very much about these folks and what their daily lives were like, it gives me great joy to know that I share a part of their history, their story, every day of my life.

I was about to get rid of a picture recently that I had retrieved from my grandparents home after they had passed. As I looked on the back of the painting, I saw a name and a date (1915) and realized that this must have belonged to my great-uncle Kenneth's parents. After I saw that, I realized I just couldn't give THAT away! With some of these same items I also received an autographed picture of J. Edgar Hoover which was inscribed to Kenneth's wife, Evelyn. Apparently she had been J. Edgar's assistant for many years. I can never think of her the same way now.

When we know the back story on things, it helps us to truly appreciate them. Soon, you may be able to learn the stories about potential used items you are planning to buy. Services such as Itizen, based in Minneapolis, MN use a tag-and-tell approach. They are usually small anecdotes about an item, as opposed to the full narrative history, but they are still very interesting.

In May, researchers from a company called Totem placed 60 such tagged items in a thrift store, where shoppers could hear short back stories for these used goods, which were immediately "snapped up", according to Chris Speed, one of the researchers on the project.

How will this change the way you think when you shop? Right now, you can have a 'carfax' history report for any used car you are thinking about purchasing, to know how many owners the car has had, if it has ever been reported as being in an accident, etc. What if you could get a 'carfax' for a musical instrument or washer / dryer set?

How much does it help us to know the back story behind a person or an item we are considering buying? I have a good friend who I consider to be a really bad parent. He has a raging temper, and gets on his kids all of the time. But when I learned that HIS father was a raging alcoholic who BEAT everyone in his family, it helps me to remember that my friend may indeed be trying his best with what skills he has been given.

EVERYTHING and EVERYONE has a back story...what is yours? What could it tell other people if you were willing to share it?