Wednesday 24 August 2011

Locked away memories

I wish I could slot types of memories in my mind/heart and have a folder for each set. Each folder will be labeled according to the kind of memories. Of course, some may overlap but that is okay, it cannot be helped otherwise. One folder would be titled ‘school’ where I will store all the memories that were part of my schooling years: friends, loves, teachers, exams and others. Another folder would be titled ‘betrayals’ where stories of lost loves would be carefully arranged. The folder, of course would slightly overlap the one titled ‘school.’ 



Some folders would last the entire lifetime while certain folders would require deletion as they interfere with the present. The past runs continuum in the present but there is also a need to gradually erase the volatile memories which have the ability to cause hazards in the present.
Some folders would be shared with friends, parents, children, teachers and certain others, while some folders will have a password which would prevent anyone from looking into the contents. Some folders need updating while certain others are preserved.

Memory is dynamic which is constantly changing. There are some memories of places which are better preserved in the memory alone. The place in the memory might be completely different from the present place and therefore it is better to leave the memory and the place alone. 

Songs form a greater space in every folder. I will store songs from each period of my life and connect the same with certain incidents in my life. For example, the song “My heart will go on,” will remind me of my under graduation, where I bunked class to see the movie “Titanic.” I will remember that I disliked Leonardo DiCaprio and adored Kate Winslet. But in the present, I have grown to like and admire the acting skills of DiCaprio. 

Sometimes I will rummage through the folders to exact that bit of memory which made me happy or sometimes I will crave for that smell which will lead me to a particular memory.

I will think of a certain time when the song “Peaceful Easy Feeling” by Eagles was playing but I wasn’t listening to the song but now when I listen to that song, I think of that ‘certain time’ with melancholy.

The urge to delete the folder named MEMORIES is strong at times but I am also aware that however I try to erase that folder, it will always remain in the system.

Image: Internet

39 comments:

  1. Wow this was an amazing post..how you got me thinking(dangerous)....stirred up great emotion in me..but was also thinkin..how I hate that as I age..some memories...some folders ...are aging with me and fading...and it's always the good ones that are the hardest to keep fresh....and keep ageless.....As always....XOXOXOXO

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  2. Lovely contemplation on memory and remembering. I shall keep coming back to this post many times hence. :)

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  3. I like memories :) they keep you company long after all are gone. Some make you cry but most make you happy and thankful to be alive.

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  4. Lovely post. Got me thinking about my poem "Pressed Flowers". They are like memories, some faded and some still fresh and vibrant. You will keep them in folders.

    http://rimlybezbaruah.blogspot.com/2011/01/words.html

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  5. No matter how long we exist, we have our memories. Points in time which time itself cannot erase. Suffering may distort our backward glances, but even to suffering, some memories will yield nothing of their beauty or their splendor. Rather they remain as hard as gems...loved it dear Susan

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  6. i dont regret any memories...they are what make us...and help us get to the next...

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  7. I agree with Brian Miller. "Memories make us", as he says. Pity, memories fade away with age.

    Your lovely post reminds me of Barbara Streissand's famous song "Memory":

    "Life was beautiful then
    I remember the time I knew what happiness was
    Let the memory live again".

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  8. And the importance of making new memories for those slipping away with age. wonderful post.

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  9. Memories are fascinating to me--what we remember, what we forget. And oh yes, the power of a song to bring back what we think we have forgotten!

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  10. What an amazing thought that is. Memories are so important to me but sometimes the ones that I most treasure seem to fade and that scares the hell out of me. So there should be one folder that says precious (can't lose).

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  11. Very true Susan. However hard we try, its difficult to erase our memories completely. I think everything in the human system is designed with a reason. Without memories we wouldnt be able to reshape and better ourselves as we grow up. We take so many lessons from the memories we hold, dont we?

    Take Care Susan.

    Cheers,
    Sukanya

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  12. Great article. As bloggers we love writing. I have often thought that one day i'd enjoy writing my life story from my memories. Not for publication but just as an adventure. it will also be a good way to make sure i've dealt with all my ghosts.

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  13. You want to automate your memory and store and access stuff like we do on PC! Crazy idea, I liked it, I must say! :)

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  14. Thanks so much for leaving a comment on my blog Lessons from the Monk I Married. Your blog and profile are wonderful...nice to find you!

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  15. Beautiful post about memories dear Susan.;)
    I love my recollections and relish in revisiting them. I do not think I woudl store my memories in folders, to me they are like rooms in a large mansion. Each room has its own decor and is very individual, but they are all connected to make a building. I need to visit the rooms and see the decor to be reminded of events, people or beautiful moments in time. Some rooms are my favorite ones, some are less liked.;)
    As for your question on my Monday post; yes I do believe exactly that, we remove a "soul" of a home and take it with us when we move out. The term soul is used of course in the abstract sense, but I believe that we remove something from a house when we leave it. A certain life and joy. No abandoned buildings are very pleasant places to visit.;)
    Have a great end of the week dear Susan,
    xoxo

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  16. My dear Susan, our memories are so integral to who we are, why would we want to delete them? I feel even the painful memories mellow with time, and become small charges to the spirit and mind that allow us to keep growing into who we truly mean to be. Certainly, there are the breaking memories for some, but it seems we have our resilience and are eventually able to recover and move on, finding new spaces and new people and new experiences.

    I truly enjoyed reading this post. I liked how you made a parallel between our different categories of memory and storage files. And it's so true that, though we might one day burn a file or two, it seems... the ashes remain.

    Wishing you a lovely day,
    Nevine

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  17. An extremely thought provoking post. Memories and storage...this will be one I will be contemplating on for awhile :)

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  18. Beautiful musings Susan Deborah! I also LOVE Zuzana's description in her comment about memories being like rooms in a huge mansion...how apt! Memories are so precious...there are so many things I pray I never forget. They add substance and joy to my life. Of course there are bad memories as well but they are experiences and a source to draw knowledge from.

    Wonderful post! You have got a lot of us thinking!:)

    Much love to you!

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  19. Wouldn´t this be wonderful? But they say nobody can steal your memories, which is true, but unfortunately they do fade over time!

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  20. Some memories I'd like not to have but of course the more I try to get rid of them the more they stay in my mind. Folding/ unfolding memories... nice idea. Not easy, though...

    I'd rather forgive than forget. I'd rather forget than remember a past that cannot be changed.

    Hugs, my dear.
    :-)

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  21. Bongo:

    Even dangerous past becomes memories, Bonnie. I wish they would fade and transform.
    xoxoxo, as always back to you.

    Mike:

    I know :)

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  22. Karishma:

    Listening to "Sway," which is another memory.

    Come as often. I would treasure those visits, as always.

    Sulekha:

    Welcome here, Sulekkha. Glad to have you here. Absolutely. Well-said.

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  23. Rimly:

    I did think of your post when I wrote this. Maybe I should link your work here. Wait.

    Alpana:

    Thanks for this lovely gem of a comment, dear Alpana.

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  24. Brian:

    Bravo. You are a wise soul.

    DUTA:

    "Let the memory live again," through posts like these. But some are better not relived.

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  25. Jan:

    True, we make memories every second.

    Betty:

    Hmmmm. Thanks for stopping by, Betty.

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  26. Kriti:

    Precious . . . every memory becomes so when the times comes.

    Sukanya:

    Memories definitely help us but some bog us down, paralyzing our next step.

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  27. Larry:

    Nicely put, healthy man!

    Karan:

    Ha Ha.

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  28. Katherine:

    Welcome here and thanks for the return visit. I was quite intrigued by the title of your blog. Neat!
    Glad to have stumbled across you as well.

    Zuzana:

    You are quite generous in allotting a mansion for memories. Yours will look like a museum, then. How perspectives differ, Zuzana.
    Thanks for getting back on Monday's post.
    You have a great week ahead.
    xoxox

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  29. Nevine:

    Some memories are better deleted, Nevine, as they bring pain every time we open the folder.
    The ashes remain . . .

    Have a great week ahead, dear Nevine.

    Mary:

    Thanks for the kind words, Mary. Glad to see you here.

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  30. Colleen:

    Zuzana is a poet in prose. Thanks for coming by and giving me joy, dear Colleen. Have a lovely week ahead.

    Me:

    xoxo

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  31. Nelieta:

    They do fade but I guess its for the good.

    Dulce:

    Forgiveness, oh yes, Dulce. But sometimes the memories have more power over us and they control the present.

    Big and warm hugs back to you.

    :)
    xoxoxo

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  32. And what exactly did you not like about DiCaprio? Great article, I also have some folders that I do not share much with some people and some that I can freely share. Some are happy but others are sad. Most important to me though is that I am now creating new ones with my family, especially my daughters!

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  33. I thought DiCaprio was another chocolate-faced actor who would do only romantic comedies. I never even in my wildest dreams could imagine that he would do some fantastic roles as seen in "Blood Diamond," "Aviator" and others.
    BTW, do you like Caprio?

    Best wishes :)

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  34. I think he is a great actor -- I also was not too sure about him in Titanic but got convinced when I watched Departed.

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  35. Same here. "Titanic" was more like a Bollywood film. DO you know Bollywood, the film industry in Bombay (read Hindi films).

    Have you watched his first film, "What's eating Gilbert Grape?"

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  36. He he, how can I not know Bollywood? I lived in India for 5 years so I know Bollywood a bit. I have not watched Gilbert Grape, will try and look for it. Is it good?

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  37. BTW, "Gilbert Grape" is not his first movie. The movie is bit morbid. DiCaprio plays a mentally retarded boy. Not the main role. Johnny Depp is the main one and Caprio is his brother.

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