Do you remember your first movie? First job? Now that I am in my 50’s, I realize there are events in my life, like my first kiss & other special moments, I want to always remember.
The first movie I ever saw in a theater ~ was a 3-Stooges movie in probably 1972 or 73ish. I was only about 6, but I remember being there and how amazing it felt to be in a big theater.
My first job ~ When I was 17, I worked in a small local sub sandwich shop and I loved it. I felt grown up earning my own money. My friends definitely came in to get free food!
The part I had in my first elementary school play ~ Because I was very small, I was the Littlest BillyGoat Gruff in my 1st grade class play. I’m sure the talent on display was remarkable – or at least my parents thought it was!
My first kiss
This I remember well. I embarrassingly got caught in the action by my bestie’s mom when she came to pick a group of us up at our local pizza hangout. Perhaps standing in the middle of the parking lot wasn’t very discreet.
She flashed her bright lights on us. She was good friends with his mom. That was a rough car ride with her and all my friends….I took a lot of mocking. Based on his “moves” (tongue action on my first kiss!) it clearly wasn’t his first time, so he most likely didn’t keep that moment in his memory bank. I understand. He had skills.
What if I had forgotten such an important moment?
That was probably 40 years ago! I forgot all about it until a friend recently asked me if I remembered my first kiss.
Turns out, I haven’t spent enough time recalling details of my life. Now that I’m in my 50’s, I realize that I shouldn’t take my memory for granted. I better do what I can now to take care of my memories!
Do you ever take time to reminisce? To wallow in nostalgia? It’s a pretty cathartic exercise. I now occasionally take the time to just sit and remember.
Always Moving Forward
Admittedly, I’m a master at moving forward in life. “That was fun, now onto next” has been my usual thought. I always move onto the next phase of life easily and with the confidence that my memories are safely captured in photos. As I get older, I find that most of my memories are recalled from those photos. I challenge myself sometimes to remember those things not captured in photos. And, it turns out, after many moves in my lifetime, some of those photo albums I relied on to remind me of my life, have sadly gotten lost along the way.
My Unused Diary
My Unused DiaryI didn’t keep a diary as a child (I was given one but couldn’t be bothered to write in it) so my memories are in my mind and to access them I need to take the time to remember. This is sometimes a deep dive into my past uncovering layers of memories. I will occasionally pick one area to focus on. I spent a recent quiet Sunday morning remembering my birthdays as a kid. Did I have themed birthday parties? Who attended? Did I receive a favorite gift? I remembered my 10th birthday party was a costume party (my birthday is in October so I had a lot of costume parties over the years) and I arrived late to my own party because I was playing up the street with my best friend and forgot about the time. Boy was my Mom mad since she couldn’t find me! Ahhh – good times. I called my Mom and reminded her of this story and we shared a good laugh. At 80 years old, she still remembers it well.
Old People Stories
My kids get bored with stories of my childhood. I pretend they’re listening. They aren’t. I go into way too much detail like an indulgent storyteller. They’re not impressed. Yet, I still rattle on. Sharing my stories of life like the time I met Bob Hope (they have no idea who that is) to ice skating on a frozen pond in the winter near my house growing up. Is it a foregone conclusion that I’ll be one of those “old” people one day who tells the same 3 stories over and over again to anyone who’ll listen? Probably.
For so many reasons, our family stories are important. Not many of us write down the day-to-day of life or how a moment made us feel. These valuable memories should be cherished.
I always give an ear to my own aging parents when they want to share a memory with me. I cherish those moments, not for the tale but for the telling. It’s a way to connect. Their stories remind me to think of my own stories. Not only the big epic moments of life, but the simple times throughout it that might otherwise have been forgotten.
Another reason I occasionally set aside time for reflection, is to keep my mind and memory stimulated. I know how easily I can forget simple things if I’m busy or distracted. Protecting my mind and memory are important as I age.
Healthy body = healthy memory
