Do you remember that woman we met in Sydney, who had serious sunburn and persistent hiccups, she asks me, and I have no recollection of her whatever.
Sometimes, when I don't remember a whole string of things, I'll pretend I remember some of them just to reduce the embarrassment.
It's sad that whole chunks of my life have vanished without trace. I can remember very little of my schooldays for example. I can remember the schools I went to and a lot of the teachers and pupils, but nothing much beyond that.
If someone asks me about the book I've just read, it's all I can do to recall the basic details of the plot and the main characters. Even while reading the book, any character who disappears for 50 pages and then resurfaces is an enigma. I struggle to remember who this person is and how she fits into the plot.
My poor memory does have a few advantages though. I forget bad experiences as if they never happened. So I don't nurse grudges and resentments.
Did I have a normal memory as a child? I don't remember.
Memory is such an interesting part of our human experience. My friend that I’ve known since age 5 remembers many things I don’t and vice versa.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: I sometimes remember things that Jenny has forgotten!
DeleteI had a brain injury in 2011 which wiped out large blocks of memory. It's frustrating but there is nothing I can do about it. I've finally accepted this. The sad thing is I'm now losing memory that has nothing to do with a TBI, but instead it's aging!
ReplyDeleteSandra: A shame that some of your memory has been lost. My memory is also getting worse with old age.
DeleteI'm the same with books, even books I love.
ReplyDeleteWe're currently watching Shetland - and having to wait a whole week in between episodes is a nightmare! How did we cope in the past when it was like that?
Liz: We're watching Shetland as well. I agree, waiting a week does make it hard to pick up all the threads again.
DeleteSame!! It doesn't help that I often nod off during Shetland, I don't know why because I am enjoying it.
DeleteSx
Ms Scarlet: I sometimes nod off during a TV programme and Jenny has to wake me again.
DeleteMy husband has very few memories. Except when it comes to movies and series. He remembers those people. Because I don't remember actors and story lines well, we wait until a series has finished broadcasting then watch one or two episodes every night until we catch up. If we have to wait for a new season, we have to watch the recap so I can be reminded who is who.
ReplyDeleteBut, I have a ton of memories from my childhood and later. My brothers and I don't have the same memories, though, even though we shared the same experiences.
Linda
Linda: TV dramas should run on consecutive nights so they're easier to follow. An episode a week makes it much harder to keep up with all the details.
DeleteI retain memories partly because I have spent a lot of time walking and bussing so I had time, down the years, to review. "Reviews it or lose it" says I. I mean I don't just live in the present.
ReplyDeleteI like how people will build a mental map of their city by how encounters and things happened at certain street corners.
I think it's normal to be like in a man's memoir, "Sixty" where he said, "I have lost two decades, but I don't know which two."
Sean: That's true, my mental map of Belfast is based around places where I had particular experiences.
DeleteHi Nick,
ReplyDeleteI have an elephant memory (as we say here) , I even remember my
first dentist appointment when I was 3 and the dress I wear. My mother was really surprised and still today I have very clear pictures in my mind about many different events. I think we can train our memory especially now when getting old or very old.
Hannah
Ps: I am not commenting as much as I would like, I had a heart surgery and recover slowly.
Hi Hannah. Sorry to hear about the heart surgery. I hope you're recovering okay.
DeleteFancy remembering your first dentist appointment age three! I can't remember anything from that age. Yes, people say we can train our memories but I've never tried that.
My memory is getting a lot worse, more so my short term memory. My long term memory still appears to be solid. I think my brain has reached its capacity!!
ReplyDeleteSx
Ms Scarlet: My short term memory is hopeless. I can barely remember a conversation I had half an hour ago. I also have that idea, that our brains just get overloaded as we age.
DeleteAs for training your memory, I do something that I got off a man from before there were commercial underwater cameras. Standing inn his diver suit, he would look at a scene, then turn his head to see if he still retained the picture. If not, he would try again.
ReplyDeleteI suppose in one's everyday life if one can be in a grateful tourist mode, wide eyed, then memories will stick in better.
As for conversations, I've noticed that if a group of us are conversing, and we are interrupted by, say, a dog, then when the dog is gone we start a new topic, not remembering where we left off. This suggests to me that we weren't trying hard, so I think it's natural that we wouldn't remember anything later.
Boy Scouts remember because they pay attention.
Sean: I agree, memory is very much dependent on giving full attention to things. My own attention is very erratic, as I'm both scatty and easily distracted.
DeleteMy memory is still pretty good. My brother was diagnosed with dementia and is a bit forgetful now.
ReplyDeleteMary: Yes, you do seem to have an excellent memory, judging by the past memories you reveal on your blog.
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