Memory

Isn't it odd the things you remember? For some you remember things from the long ago that have been etched in your brain, for others the experiences from the past have been erased and you only remember the here and now and for some you only choose to remember what you want to.

I fall in the last category. Maybe it is human nature - you remember those experiences that were pleasant. The brain catalogs it and keeps it safely. Be it a smell, a food, a thought, a picture,a scene,a sound a color or a song. Then at some point when you encounter something similar - you have this feeling of dejavu and wonder why it is so familiar.

I never questioned why I remember certain things and not others. I thought everyone did that. But much later I realized that everyone remembers something different. I cannot remember what outfit I wore last week - but I know plenty of other people who will tell me that. Unpleasant experiences were wiped out from my short term memory and stored in cold storage. But the brain has the ability to bring it to the forefront when you are in a position to handle it.

Unpleasant experiences in my childhood bubbled to the surface once I reached adulthood and I was able to deal with it. Pleasant memories stick to you throughout your life. Every time I smell jasmine it transports me to a world of warm summer nights. Some dates ( mm/dd/yy kind of date) never leave your head either.You only know it is important, but you don't know why you remember.

There must be something with the number 23 - cause that seems to be the number of years for me before past memories bubble up and start to make sense. But the date makes sense now - the date is a birthday of a close friend from high school.

I wonder what else my memory has in store for me.