Memories of a lonely mind

It’s so weird how we try to hold on to our memories. Everyone has their own way of doing it. Some of us write in journals and try to paint the most accurate objective account of the event. Others look back at the text messages, emails and letter they have written to each other. Me? I get things tattooed on myself to remember life changing events.

Photo by GrabbMaster’s Film Reviews

It’s interesting how all these things revolve around words that describe our feelings and emotions. Even when people listen to music that reminds them of things, it’s the words that are usually doing the trick.

There are even more obscure ways of tying down memories in our mind. Some are reminded of events through smell. This is supposed to be one of the strongest triggers of stored memory and the quickest path to access the event. Taste too can trigger memories of a loved one, a shared meal or a dish made for you with all the love in the world.

The best is remembering a touch, or a feeling created inside you by the touch. The time when your father touched your head and ran his fingers through your hair. The last hug you got from your mother before you left her to go work in a foreign land. The feel of your grandmothers’ feet and the strain on your back as you reached down. That first kiss of the night that lead to so many more in the coming time. All those feelings have a special place and they themselves trigger the memories that created them.

No matter how we try to hold on to our memories, I believe it is important to do so. Not just the beautiful ones but even the painful ones. They remind you of the good times and the bad, why things went the way they did. It is important to be brave and face those memories, it’s a way to heal, move forward and remember the mistakes you made before.

So please don’t delete those text messages and don’t burn those letters. Keep them safe and hidden. Look at them from time to time to take a survey of the landscape that has been your life. Don’t get stuck in the past but use it as a reference to see how things used to be and how we can get better from this moment.