Memory

Isn't memory a funny thing?  Especially since mine is so AWFUL, I find myself thinking often about memory and how it works.  Like why "infant amnesia" even exists (and why it's probably a good thing), or what makes a memory memorable enough to stick out as your first.  Why are some people (like my grandma) able to remember what they ate for dinner on such-and-such a date, while others (like me) can't even remember a reaction on someone's face after a really important, life-changing bit of news was announced?  Obviously, the memories we have are always tainted by our emotions and our perspective about whatever is going down--just ask any two siblings about a shared experience, especially one that is emotionally charged, and you'll see what I mean.  (We laugh about this ALL THE TIME in my family...)

I have a memory like my mom.  Things and relationships and experiences from my past are hazy and vague, except for the really awful or really wonderful memories--and even then, year after year the story gets told a little differently.  My sister Charissa, on the other hand, got her memory from Dad's side of the family.  She remembers details about events from YEARS ago that I can't even remember about this morning.  And when she is told something, even just once but especially several times, she can remember it.  (Although, to be fair, if I can't remember it, I can't dispute it, so how fair is it that she automatically wins?)   

I know there are lots of ideas out there about how to improve memory, from exercise to supplements, and I'm not discrediting any of them, but I think at least part of our ability to remember things is part of our personalities.  Some of us just struggle with it in spite of our best efforts.  And some of it is a choice--we choose to remember certain things in certain ways, or, in my case, we choose to forget...sometimes it becomes a habit that we can't break.   That's why I'm glad I can blog, journal, scrapbook, facebook, and reminisce with family and friends daily!  At the end of my life, I may not remember enough of it to tell great stories by, but I will have second-hand memories in all these records of my life, and maybe that's enough for me. 

It's just fun to think about.