Memory is a precious thing. Ask those who suffer or live with dementia and they will tell you the sadness of lost memory.
It is said that the oddest of triggers can flip the switch to a long dormant memory. Smells are one of the strongest triggers. Think of the smell of fresh baking bread, and your mind might flash back to a childhood morning in the kitchen when bread was rising in the oven. You might even remember what your mother was wearing that day.
All the senses are attuned to memory channels in our brains. Taste, sight, smell, hearing, and touch. Any one of them can link to a past experience that might otherwise remain buried in that funny cranial orb we call our head.
Some memories are so dear they seem more in our hearts than our heads. You see a smile, or hear a certain sigh, and your heart skips a beat. Memories flood through your entire body.
Appreciating this amazing link between senses and the ability to recall is, I think, the key to making Forever Memories. When you smell a forest floor damp with dew and must, breath it in--hold your breath--keep your eyes open and gaze, and then close them and slowly exhale. You have made a forever memory of that moment in that forest.
If you're lucky enough to be with a significant other when you want to make a memory, do it together. Just say, "Let's make a memory of this [moment, mountain pass, sunset, sunrise, lovely country inn, forest morning] right here, right now."
Not only are you both then truly "living in the now," you are ensuring that you'll never forget.
It is said that the oddest of triggers can flip the switch to a long dormant memory. Smells are one of the strongest triggers. Think of the smell of fresh baking bread, and your mind might flash back to a childhood morning in the kitchen when bread was rising in the oven. You might even remember what your mother was wearing that day.
All the senses are attuned to memory channels in our brains. Taste, sight, smell, hearing, and touch. Any one of them can link to a past experience that might otherwise remain buried in that funny cranial orb we call our head.
Some memories are so dear they seem more in our hearts than our heads. You see a smile, or hear a certain sigh, and your heart skips a beat. Memories flood through your entire body.
Appreciating this amazing link between senses and the ability to recall is, I think, the key to making Forever Memories. When you smell a forest floor damp with dew and must, breath it in--hold your breath--keep your eyes open and gaze, and then close them and slowly exhale. You have made a forever memory of that moment in that forest.
If you're lucky enough to be with a significant other when you want to make a memory, do it together. Just say, "Let's make a memory of this [moment, mountain pass, sunset, sunrise, lovely country inn, forest morning] right here, right now."
Not only are you both then truly "living in the now," you are ensuring that you'll never forget.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment