7.06.2008

The nature of memories

Today I went on a marathon bike ride with Mani and Paula (hey, I haven't had an Internet connection for three days - I had to do something). We started at Marché Bonsecours, cycled west to the tip of Parc René-Lévesque in Lachine, and then back again. That's 40+km of pedalling along Montreal's fine bike paths.

With all that time to think, I made some fairly interesting conclusions about the nature of memories. Gather around kids - I'm going to share them now...

The last time I visited Parc René-Lévesque was late fall, early winter of 2007. SM and I went for one of our usual strolls. I had cherry green tea (my fave) from Second Cup. It was chilly. As we rounded the southern arc of the path, he told me about his friends who were CEGEP teachers - one in Abitibi, the other in Montreal. As we came back along the northern arc, he reminisced about the video store he went to as a kid, and all the terrible movies he saw.

The interesting thing is - there was nothing really remarkable about that day or what we talked about. We often went to Second Cup. We often took long, rambling walks. We often discussed. I didn't feel the need to go home and record it when it happened, and I haven't thought about it since. It was only once I returned to the same place that the memories came back, and that I recognized that day as being worthy of a keep-able memory.

Furthermore, now that I have remembered the moment, every time I go to this park, I will naturally remember that day. Why? Because the act of remembering has upgraded the memory from a mostly-dormant, less-accessed part of my brain to a higher-up, more frequently-accessed part of my brain.

What amazes me is that we have no real control over what becomes a memory and what is forgotten. Mere circumstance often dictates what we remember. Being in a certain place will draw forth memories at random, and once the moment is remembered, it cannot be easily forgotten.

What other good memories are currently dormant in my fuzzy little brain? Where will I next be when a place or thing triggers another flood of words said? The anticipation is actually... delicious.

2 comments:

Eric Cote said...

I always hate it when someone recalls something that I have completely forgotten. No recollection whatsoever! Who stole the memories from my brain?

I hate it especially when it seems to be nice memories... It's like noticing that a pot of gold is missing from your bank account. Now I wonder, how much have I been robbed?

And since I don't recall how much gold I originally had, I have no way of knowing if I'm missing 50% of my memories, or 30%, or 70%.

I look at my high school pictures, and I don't recognize anyone! (But from what I recall from high school, it's probably better that way.)

ad said...

It's OK, Eric... you're making new gold, I promise.