Comfortable Memories

As we age, we usually reach a point where smaller, simpler things take on more meaning. They are things that comfort our mind and our body and sometimes, even our soul.

For me, there’s the 20 odd year old recliner that fits me to a tee, cushioning my head and just the right length for my feet; or the tee shirt that serves as my night shirt most of the time – it’s worn and stretched and has a few small holes, and it’s comfortable beyond believe; or the cloth lined leather moccasins that I wear around the house to keep my feet warm during the winter.

Each one is simple and each one is priceless.

Also among these comfortable things I rely on so much are my memories. They are nestled in my sub conscientious, ready to spring out at a moment’s notice. Anything can be a catalyst to bring them rushing back; a picture, a song, a place, a person, or even a smell.

They’re a favorite toy I play with sometimes. I hold them up, turning them this way and that, relishing the warmth they bring me.

I think we’re all like that – treasuring those little pieces of our past. Obviously, the good memories are the best, but after a time even a bad memory has its place there too. It may not be something to make us smile; on the contrary, some of them will bring back tears even years after they happened, but we remember how we dealt with them, fought with them and lived through them, and that part makes it a good memory.

They all become so fixed in our minds that we know they happened just the way we remember. Why wouldn’t they? We have carried them so long that we have it all memorized to a tee. Or do we?

One day we might meet up with someone, or be in a situation that makes us look them over again, only a little more closely this time. Could it be possible that after all this time we might be wrong?

Facebook can provide such a situation. We run into old friends and family members that we haven’t seen in ages and we rush to say hello, thinking they might be just as excited to see us as we are to see them; and just as eager about sharing those old memories. Well, they will, won’t they?

Maybe, maybe not.

They may remember us, but it's almost a sure bet they don’t remember things exactly the same way we do. Or maybe they don’t remember us at all. If that’s the case, forget about talking over old memories.

So what do we do? The only thing we can do is accept it. Just as our lives have been different, so have our memories. Our memories are from our perspective, not theirs, so the memories will be different. That doesn’t necessarily make them wrong, and it certainly doesn’t make them any less special. We may have to alter or patch a few, but hey, we’ve been altering and patching things in our lives almost daily.

Besides, talking them over can breathe a new life into some of them and strengthen the bond between us and our old companions, and that can only be a good thing.