Recalling…

Maybe this is an aging thing? I can be involved in practically anything and an idea pops into my mind about something that happened many years ago. I know that this happens to all of us, but as we age do we have more ‘down time’ that allows us to recognize these pop up thoughts? Maybe at younger ages we have these thoughts but are so busy with other things we pay them no mind?

Well, that’s a possibility. Another possibility is the younger you are the less you have to remember? Think about that a bit to see the logic. So clear we miss it.

Now you may wonder what sort of thoughts are popping into my mind. If so, here are a few.

·        Remember my father giving my mother a fancy watch for their anniversary; it was 1947 or 1948. I was 3 or 4 years old. I remember because I wanted to see it up close and the clasp on the watch snagged on mom’s sweater and broke it. Right then as she had just received it!

·        Hail and snow storm on the Mojave Desert; must have been 1948 or 1949. Frozen precipitation in the desert was a major event. We had a few inches, then it rained, melted the snow and hail, and soon we were dealing with flooded streets. I remember this event. The rest of the family had to deal with the mess because I was too young to do anything about it. I simply remained out of the way.

·        Smelling lilacs blooming in southern California one spring. I probably was 6 or 7 years old. The aroma was tantalizing; we were back living in Altadena, fresh off the desert.

·        Roaring silence of sitting outdoors on the desert near mountains and rock outcroppings. Dead silence. So quiet you thought you could hear the deep blue sky! The ears strained to hear anything, so you scuffed a shoe in the sand to be certain you hadn’t gone suddenly deaf.

·        See a train today and remember seeing a long freight train crossing a vast desert stretch in my far distant youth

·        My first real snowfall was at age 11 in Massachusetts. Tantalizing. It soon grew to 13 inches!

Of course there are many other memories from early years; triggers must be present to connect the recall mechanism. The how is known; the why is not.

Heard a piece on NPR Sunday that called this process a yearning for the past, as though the present is lacking something we need. They termed it a form of depression, linked to nostalgia.

Let me make this clear: I am not being nostalgic! I am simply remembering solitary moments. Interesting banquet of thoughts. Some fun, some not. This process has given me insight as juxtaposition to present day. I am sitting back and enjoying the experience.

Still wonder if this is an elder thing. If you know, please share that information.

November 28, 2018