Take a moment and think about the earliest memory of your life. Why did you remember that event? How old were you? What helps us remember names, faces, walking, riding a bike, multiplication tables, birthdays, anniversaries, lines in a play, information for an examination, etc.?
There are books, organizations, websites, and professionals who offer techniques to help us memorize what we long to remember and how to forget memories that haunt us.
Maya Angelou, “Life is not measured by the number of breathes we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” But there’s more to remembering certain events than we may realize.
Scientists estimate that if a person lives to the age of 80, then on average they will take 672,768,000 breaths in a lifetime! That spans a lot of memories. Is it simply a decision to remember something or is there more to remembering than intention?
Science and the field of neurology offer significant information about human brain function and what part of our brain powers memory.
While I took anatomy and physiology in college my memory of the detailed learning had to be refreshed by a web search for this column, which led me to ALZ.org/BrainTour. The website offers education regarding the effects and impact of Alzheimers.
â┚¬Å”Your brain is your most powerful organ, yet weighs only about three pounds. It has a texture similar to firm jelly. It has three main parts: The cerebrum fills up most of your skull. It is involved in remembering, problem solving, thinking, and feeling. It also controls movement. The cerebellum sits at the back of your head, under the cerebrum. It controls coordination and balance. The brain stem sits beneath your cerebrum in front of your cerebellum. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls automatic functions such as breathing, digestion, heart rate and blood pressure.â┚¬ÂÂ
The hipԚ¬pocampus is located in the cerebrum and it is this part of the brain that allows us to remember. Consider everything you have done in the last 24 hours. That's approximately 23,000 breathes. How much did you remember? Most of us have a fully functioning hippocampus, yet much of what we do in a day is so much a part of our routine it is difficult to recall.
The 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks just passed. Much of the nation has both a personal and a shared memory of that day. Many people lost loved ones and our country experienced vulnerability and fear not felt for two generations. Yet how many of us remember what we did on Sept. 11 in the years following 2001? How many of us remember what we did this morning?
And what about our historyâ┚¬â€Âour LGBT history? Edmund Burke modified George Santayana’s The Life of Reason, Vol.1, to read , “Those who don’t know history are [condemned] destined to repeat it.” People throughout the 20th and into the 21st century have made significant sacrifices for freedom, inclusion and equality. How do we remember them, and, more so, how fragile are the freedoms gained and what work is left for us? Are we so insulated by the â┚¬Å”fewâ┚¬Â freedoms that we have that we think our work is over. If we knew our history would it change how we live our lives, how we fight for our freedoms?
Recently, I officiated a memorial service for an 82-year-old woman. The room was lined with pictures reflecting a spirited life lived with family, friends, food and libations. There was a time in the service for those gathered to share memories of her as well as a toast complete with her favorite libation.
She was described as a woman who loved life and the people in her life, who usually became her family. When asked the common question, “How are you?” She would most often respond with, â┚¬Å”I am blessed!â┚¬Â For this woman, it mattered less whether her cup was half empty or half full. She was grateful for the opportunity to quench her thirst.
Even at her service, memories of her life were created as those of us who attended will never again eat hamburger sliders, coconut shrimp or drink Baileys and Cream without thinking about this woman and her legacy of life, laughter and love.
We have but scratched the surface about how our brain captures our experiences. For some of us, our memories will be cherished gifts that journey with us until our last breath, for others, they will fade with each breath. How we live and love will be the memories we make for ourselves and those we touch.
Think about your life in reverse. What do you think will really matter to you as you near the end of your life? Now live it! Be intentional. Take pictures, keep a journal or write your own personal memoirs. You are promised the breath you are taking and maybe the next. I hope for you that your life will be a life you can call â┚¬Å”blessedâ┚¬Â and that your cup is full enough to quench your thirst.
