I recently acquired a “Smart Keyboard” at an apartment estate sale in New York. We were visiting a friend and she saw the sign in the doorway of a building near her co-op while we were walking to lunch, so we went in. And there was this bit of old tech sitting there, looking for a new home.

So I grabbed it, along with its external power supplies—one for a cigarette lighter socket!—-and we paid $40 for it along with a few other small items, including what turned out to be a faux-leather jacket that fit my wife but then began to disintegrate as she wore it.

Fast forward to our return home a few days later. I plug the AlphaSmart in and discover there are still two text files on the thing. I have no idea how long they have been there…the AlphaSmart Pro was sold between 1995 and 1997, and I have no information on the previous owner other than what was in the files.

One file was clearly a sort of initial test. The other reveals the owner to be a struggling (perhaps self-published ) author, a writer who has published at least one book—which honestly could be half of the people who live in upper west side Manhattan. Other references (like “selfie”) place it at least after 2002.

Here is that file, with very minor edits.:

How did you do it all?  How did you manage things?
 
All in good time, I know – there there – the last words of the day – I could write a lot more this evening.
 
The new protocol is no caffeine after 6 pm…. No e-mail or news – reading or television or writing – wind down smoothly, without the stress of the day filtering / bubbling up into the evening time.
 
One more thing – one little thing –
 
And some of the first – a screech fro the hallway – the little person is either really happy or really unhappy – you can’t really tell at this remove….
 
Was that a productive day? Maybe it was – maybe so…
 
And some of the first – you know all my usual feints and tricks and subterfuges – the old legerdemain that I have used too often, and for far too many shows – magic ceases to amaze after a few viewings, like jokes or old stories with a surprise twist at the end – once your seen or heard them more than one, twice, the effect is muted entirely…. It is erased – it doesn’t work – it was a good joke, a fine trick but now its cliché and much be discarded into the dump with all the other broken things that have been worn out by too much use….
 
There there there – one thing and another….
 
We’ll move in the usual directions now – we’ll get some real energy for the journey….
 
I need a few more dreams – I need some new obsession of things that I am interested in….
 
Be an American, someone devoted to the present and the future, not the past. The past has no place – it has to be denied – I think that’s a wondrous thing – increasingly though the young are mired in getting angry about the past – it’s an excuse for all sorts of shoddy beiahvior now – and to convinced oneself that there’s nothing left to do except to dwell on past wrongs and start thinking you are trapped b the system –a nd there’s no point in doing anything grand or even meaningful – that doom loop of the Past and all the obsessing about it.
 
For a long time, Americans were uniquely able to look forward, though – and to let bygones be bygones – without a long history like the Europeans, there was less raw material to forget – the Past wasn’t’ so nearly as important as the Present and the future of course….
 
There there – one thing more – a full word hoard – a full Hercule for the day…
 
That much was the easy part,all told.
 
Do what you can with every day….
 
Make the most of every occasion – all the cliches are true you see – they’re cliches because they have been true for a very long time for many many people….
 
We get spoiled and think our wisdom has to be unique – just for us – concocted out of many original stories and set of knowledge assembled by us – unique to our sensibility.
 
But it’s actually a lot easier than that – you can learn a great deal fro the ordinary, from ordinary things and the wisdom of ordinary language – it’s not as quotable, but it’s still a form of wisdom in a way…
 
I take a good looking selfie right now – if I arrange my face in the frame in a certain way….
 
Well, I wrote and never heard back. So I just forgot about the situation. Was that careless? Maybe it was a little bit careless.
 
 
It’s still raining and will be for hours. The heavy stuff is coming this evening – that’s going to be something, indeed.
 
One thing after another – there there – we’ll all get along from here….
 
I think I have been a very kind and generous father – I have enjoyed every moment when I could. It has been a brilliant, unbelievable adventure and I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world.
 
Oh look at me tearing up again – I promised I wouldn’t’ do that, but there I go again…
 
Well back to duty and love / love and duty – I have been lucky in many many ways – and I am truly thankful for it all.
 
Send a book to Brian M. Send a book to Robin S. Send a book to Uncle Dick and Sandra. Send a book to Edward M. Send a book to 3 old friends.
 
Send a book to that agent from the conference. Two agents, three. Keep going at all costs. There there.
 
There’s a momentum here, there’s a certain velocity to things…
 
Keep going, keep moving. Use your talents every day no matter what…. Keep going – keep going and you’ll see where this goes.
 
You’re not done yet. You’re just getting started as a writer with an audience, wit a voice, with a tiny reputation.
 
Write all evening like this and see what transpires – you’ll get along from here – there’s progress to be made – there’s the honest truth if you dare confront it…. And there you go…..
 
Wods for a new mood….
 
{Words After the Dark Night of the Soul}
 
He puts down his metaphorical pen – and rests a bit – catches his breath for what’s next. 
 
That’s enough work for the afternoon….
 

Having released these words from the non-volatile memory of the keyboard, I now exorcise them and hope the soul of the author has found rest. I suspect my children will someday forensically find my digital detritus as well, so this serves as a reminder to me to delete my search history, shopping lists, and random musings from my devices early and often-so that the ephemera of my life does not outlive me and haunt them.