Do You Remember When...

Memory is a difficult thing to define. Before I began writing this post, I looked online for a definition.  I found a few:

·        “The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.”

·        “Something remembered from the past; a recollection.”

·        “Memories that are not consciously remembered can exert control through the subconscious” was a theory put forth by Sigmund Freud.

·        Another interesting definition I found was, “a past that becomes a part of me.”

Whatever definition we find best describes “memory,” it is fascinating to think of all the memories we must have stored in our brain.

We all have memories of sad or extraordinary occurrences in our lives.  For those of us who were around in 1963, a memory to which many of us refer is exactly where we were when we heard that John Kennedy was killed.  I was in high school when the announcement came over the public address system.  I remember that right after the announcement, a male student said loudly, “Now I’ll bet they will cancel the dance tonight!”  I was already stunned by the announcement, but I was shocked that was the first thing that came out of that kid’s mouth.  Having just experiencing the 50^th “anniversary” of that terrible day, it is especially sharp in many of our minds. 

Many of our strongest memories are about where we were when certain things happened.  An odd memory came to my mind a couple days ago.  I distinctly remember that, as a college student, I had just driven up to my home when I heard on the radio that Walt Disney had died.  He was an amazing man, but it surprised me that I had been storing that event in my mind since 1966.

I also remember exactly where I was when I learned that Elvis Presley died.  It was one week to the day after my younger son was born.  Again, I was in my car when the announcement was made on the radio.  I loved Elvis’ music, and I had seen him in concert, so I was upset with the news.

Until I put these memories in writing, I did not realize that these three major memories were all about someone dying.

When I was a young woman, I was sitting at home watching TV when I received a phone call from a local radio station asking me when I learned that my father was missing.  Until that phone call, I did not know that he was missing!  It turned out they had gone hiking in the mountains and were found the following day by rangers.  It made TV news and the newspapers!

A much happier, rather amusing memory I have is the first time I saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.  I was watching it with my family.  I was sitting on the edge of the couch closest to the TV watching the program.  We were all laughing at them with their funny haircuts.  In fact, I remember I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face.

We do not remember days; we remember moments.  ~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand

Some of our memories are painful, while we enjoy reliving others over and over again.

I would love it if some of you reading this blog would share some of your own memories.

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