Saturday, November 21, 2009
Jenn: Selective Memory
Posted by
Cara
I remember nothing prior to 2009. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but I really don't remember a lot of things. I was chatting with my High School roommate on Facebook yesterday (boarding school). She said something about how much fun we used to have making and delivering birthday cakes. What????? I do not remember this At All. Are you sure I was there? Apparently we sent order forms to all the parents and on their child's birthday we would bake a cake, deliver it and sing. We charged $20 and it cost us $2 to make the cake. Seriously? Wow. I was quite the entrepreneur. Too bad I don't remember any of it.
I remember bits and pieces from my childhood - I can tell you my 2nd grade teacher was sister Mary Alice. I can tell you my fourth grade teacher had some kind of disease that made her lower half giant and she could barely walk and I loved her - but I don't remember her name. I remember Miss Vance - that was her name when my brother and sister had her but by the time I got to her she had been married quite a few years - don't know her married name though.
I remember my childhood home. Lived there until I was 14 and I remember many of my friends from there. But I lack very specific memories of things we used to do. Again, bits and pieces of High School and College. After College the memories get a bit clearer. But still, there are a lot of things that I seriously could get up on a witness stand and say I do not recall and mean it. I never did mind altering drugs - so that does not explain any of it.
My kids know I have this memory issue. They like to tease me and say Mom remember when... I usually don't though sometimes something they say will spark a memory. Music brings back memories, so do TV shows. I know it's not just me - I have had these conversations with friends who have lost most of the memory of their early years. I wonder if that changes as we age. I can have a conversation with my MIL who can't remember what she did yesterday but will tell you about what happened at her birthday party in 1937. I met a neighbor last week - he is 87 and he gave me the whole history of my block, my house and places in town he has lived. It was fascinating - I asked him to come back on a a weekend when I had more time - I was running for the school bus - and I really wanted to hear his stories probably as much as he wants to tell them. I wonder if my lack of memory has to do with being so busy in the here and now that I don't have time for the past... maybe that will change when I am 80 years old and I can tell the neighbors some great stories - though there are some I would rather forget!
Cara's two cents: Wait what was I going to say? I forget...
I remember bits and pieces from my childhood - I can tell you my 2nd grade teacher was sister Mary Alice. I can tell you my fourth grade teacher had some kind of disease that made her lower half giant and she could barely walk and I loved her - but I don't remember her name. I remember Miss Vance - that was her name when my brother and sister had her but by the time I got to her she had been married quite a few years - don't know her married name though.
I remember my childhood home. Lived there until I was 14 and I remember many of my friends from there. But I lack very specific memories of things we used to do. Again, bits and pieces of High School and College. After College the memories get a bit clearer. But still, there are a lot of things that I seriously could get up on a witness stand and say I do not recall and mean it. I never did mind altering drugs - so that does not explain any of it.
My kids know I have this memory issue. They like to tease me and say Mom remember when... I usually don't though sometimes something they say will spark a memory. Music brings back memories, so do TV shows. I know it's not just me - I have had these conversations with friends who have lost most of the memory of their early years. I wonder if that changes as we age. I can have a conversation with my MIL who can't remember what she did yesterday but will tell you about what happened at her birthday party in 1937. I met a neighbor last week - he is 87 and he gave me the whole history of my block, my house and places in town he has lived. It was fascinating - I asked him to come back on a a weekend when I had more time - I was running for the school bus - and I really wanted to hear his stories probably as much as he wants to tell them. I wonder if my lack of memory has to do with being so busy in the here and now that I don't have time for the past... maybe that will change when I am 80 years old and I can tell the neighbors some great stories - though there are some I would rather forget!
Cara's two cents: Wait what was I going to say? I forget...
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5 comments:
Well I have major memory problems, but mine is because of a bad car accident & a severe head injury. You can tell me something & I might not even remember it 10 minutes later.
But I didn't forget I came over for SITS ShareFest.
I don't remember much about my childhood either. I actually marvel when people talk about their childhood memories and think, how can you remember all of that? I remember the houses we lived in, some of my friends, but, other than that, no specific Christmases, birthdays, school days, or anything. Just snippets of things, and I can't even say how old I was. I have one friend who is the same way...he says his parents will talk about things they did and he has zero memory of it. So you are definitely not the only one out there who is like this--I completely sympathize!
I know what you mean, there are times when my high school classmates talke to me on facebook about remembering and I think to my self that they must be making some of it up because i just dont remember hanging out with during school years. oh well, what can you do. just go along with it I guess. anyways, I really like your blog and glad that i came across it. keep up the great work. visiting from Sits.
I remember EVERYTHING--- Tons and tons of senseless information. It's like snapshots or video tours it's funny. I can look at a class picture from 2nd grade and tell you every kid's first and last name-- ditto every year.
I remember stuff about kids in my classes brothers and sisters and parents and all kinds of idiotic stuff.
I have a great memory for faces and all that too and the funny thing is, back in the day, I had more than my share of mind altering experiences :)
I have a horrible time remembering what year things happened. I remember the details but not exactly when it fits in the time line.
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