Memories

Today's WALL STREET JOURNAL had an interesting article on memory. In a nutshell, this article stated that it is good to forget some things.

Can you imagine how you would feel if you remembered every day of your life. We all remember highlights of our lives, some of us remember more than others. I've always taken pride in my memory. My head is full of all sorts of trivia, and also some important things.

My earliest memory is of being in our kitchen and sitting on the back of our dog, a black mutt called imaginatively Blackie. I must have been about 2 since we moved from that apartment when I was 4 and there was no sign of a dog and I don't think my mother wouldn't have let me sit on the dog if I was too big. There are so many other early memories, but I won't bore you with them, and some that are associated with milestones - first day of school, first Communion, apartment hunting, moving, etc.

While my memory is very good, there are some things I must have forgotten. I had a good childhood, there are few bad memories, I must have erased them from my brain. Some that have stayed are times I was sick, when I fell carrying a bottle of milk and scarred my knee.

If your memory isn't too good, there are ways to help you remember the small details of each day. You could keep a journal recording your activities, take photographs and label them instead of piling them in a box.

Just remember, you may be better off not remembering the little things. You're leaving room for the important things.