Mark Davis, Berlin: Global City in the Center of Europe, Summer 2013
I was going to catch up on all my old posts missing pictures here. But I can’t. I have pictures of the football match and the espresso machine, but all record of that storm I filmed is gone.
Earlier today, my old PC from high school died.
I still used it for video editing and processing-heavy work, and planned to edit a documentary on it from footage I filmed in Berlin. In preparation, I emptied two of my three SD cards onto it. The third SD card’s footage accidentally went on my laptop, where I left it for the time being.
It’s a good thing I left it there, because with the dying PC, I lost those two cards worth of footage. Around 3 hours of filmed memories from Berlin, gone.
I know, it was horrible of me not to back them up, not to leave the footage on the SD cards, and so on. But I uploaded the footage to a computer whose middle name was “reliable.” I thought it was safe to not back up for a few days. I was wrong, and learned a serious lesson from it.
But it also got me thinking. About Berlin, but more.
About the things I missed or forgot in Berlin, like never trying to get into Berghain, the famous club, or never going to simply sit in one of Berlin’s many parks.
And about the things I did but didn’t film, like the tour of the Bundestag, or the lively neighborhoods I lived and worked in.
But also about how little all that matters.
I forgot things, and missed things, but there were only 9 weeks. And we filled them! I missed plenty of things because I was busy doing other things. And it would be a waste of time and wonderful memories to regret the choices I made.
What of the things I forgot to film? Even if I had filmed, I might not even still have that footage. And either way, I still have the memories, and the footage I have is enough to work from.
I will forget things, and lose things, and miss things. And I can’t control what I forget, or if I forget, so why worry about it? Even if I lose two thirds of my memories, like I lost two thirds of my footage, I’ll still cherish the experience with what I have to cherish from.
So I realized that rather than looking back with regret or disappointment, I can accept that the past is no longer in my control. I can accept that it’s done, for better and for worse. Two of the greatest months of my life are done. They won’t come back, they won’t change.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thanks for reading! Below are those pictures I promised. Safe travels, and if you ever get a chance to visit Berlin, well, I highly recommend it.
Signing off,
Mark
That’s what 54,000 people in an Olympic stadium looks like.
The little engine that could. Fueled my trip.
JFK’s phoenetic notecard for “Ich Bin Ein Berliner.”
Sunset over Berlin and a wonderful two months.