There either is or is not, that's the way things are.
The colour of the day. The way it felt to be a child. The saltwater on your sunburnt legs.
Sometimes the water is yellow, sometimes it's red.
But what colour it may be in memory, depends on the day.
I'm not going to tell you the story the way it happened.
I'm going to tell it the way I remember it.
Charles Dickens ~ Great Expectations
My husband and I had a conversation recently about first kisses. He doesn't remember his.
I'll pause for a moment and let that sink in.
HE DOESN'T REMEMBER HIS FIRST KISS!
How does that happen? He couldn't even with confidence remember the first time he kissed ME!*
*Disclaimer: I am married to an amazing man who supports me fully in everything I do. I can forgive the fact that he has let a moment on Sept. 21, 1997 at approximately 10:14 pm while slow dancing in my apartment to a local country station playing from my mini-stereo slip his mind.*
His explanation was that he "didn't catalog the information for future reference."
Then, he mumbled something about women never forgetting anything.
But, my mind was already working. Why do I remember so well?
I'm sure part of it is about being a girl and living for those kinds of moments, but I believe there is much, much more.
I don't just remember my first kiss. I remember everything about it. Where I was standing, the butterfly army in my stomach, praying my mom did not choose that moment to walk into the kitchen. Everything. Just like I do so many other tiny but huge moments in my life.
But, I wonder how much of it is because I'm a writer. I love the story of each moment. I love hearing how other people met and fell in love. I love passing those emotions on to my readers and sharing the experience of moving through it together all over again.
So, tell me your story.
Do you remember the tiny but huge moments of your life with vivid detail? Were you cataloging it all for future reference?
If you're in the mood for some nostalgia, you can check out this post about Remembering the Good Old Days (It's worth the click just to see my 1989 hairstyle!)
5 comments:
Wow, really? I remember my first kiss, and I vividly remember the first time I kissed my wife.
I can't think of anything in my life I decided specifically to remember for future reference, but I do have a good memory for events and things people say and do. I'm the same with books, movies and music. I tend to recall them pretty accurately afterwards.
It's numbers where I fall down. I'm useless with dates or phone numbers. Even with the alarm code for my office, I remember it based on the motion my fingers make when entering it, not the actual numbers.
Paul, I am the same way with songs and movies. I don't think I purposely remember events for future use. I just think my brain says, "Hmm, this is good reference material. We should hold on it!" :)
I remember the first time I kissed the boy who would become my husband because it was the first kiss that really meant anything to me. But I'm notoriously bad about remembering other things. My older sister however never forgets anything. She wins all the arguements about who did what to who in the past!
My first kiss was horrible and slimy and the boy I kissed used tongue and he wasn't supposed to. We had a deal. I was chewing cinnamon gum, he was eating a butterscotch, or maybe it was the other way around. The flavors didn't mix. The kiss lasted all of two seconds and I may or may not have socked him in the gut for breaking his promise. :-) Good times!
Great story, Tracy. Sorry about the mixing flavors thing. That sounds pretty unpleasant. Thank you for stopping by!
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