Every time I am driving on the highway and I am about to pass in front of a truck to the left I think back to my sophomore year of high school, to a birthday party for my best friend Abby. Our friend Kimberly had been in a really bad car accident the day after she got her license and we all circled around her at Abby's party to hear the story. She was driving on the interstate, passed in front of a truck and the front of the truck clipped the back of her car and spun her across all three lanes. She was fine, but clearly shook up. As she retold me the story, I remember that I felt bad for her, but I never thought this one story would burn into my mind for years to come. And yet every time - literally every time - I pass a truck, I think of sitting in the hot tub in Abby's backyard listening to that story. And of course, I always make sure to leave plenty of room (and hoover my hand over the horn for extra protection - like a paranoid soccer mom).
When I shave my legs in the shower, I always think about being at the beach and talking to Karen Harrison about the best strategic way to not miss a spot. So bizarre that this would come to mind, but it does, every time (I realize that my shower thoughts are a potential over share, but go with it).
When I put on Burt's Bees chap stick I think of sitting in the car with my sister driving home from swim team practice. We must have loved the stuff during the season - I really couldn't tell you why this connects, but it simply does.
These random memories seem insignificant, but they pop into our minds all the time throughout our daily lives, unexpected and unsolicited. This got me to thinking a lot about memories - why we remember the ones we do, what triggers the ones that stick and why some become so much more significant than others. My sister can vividly remember a story from our childhood of us together that I have no recollection of and vice versa, and yet we were both there.
Someone once asked me on a first date what my earliest memory was, and in an effort to seem interesting and like the child prodigy I wish I was, I made up something brilliant, because to be honest, I froze and could only remember this one time I thought it would be a good idea to pee in a cup and show my sister. I have absolutely no idea what my earliest memory was. For instance, I only remember bits and pieces of my parent's wedding (um... big deal day), but I remember every single frame of the Disney Sing Along video my Mimi tried to shut off before it was over to con me into going to bed. I can even remember a very specific dream about alligators chasing me in a flooded basement when I was four years old, but I couldn't tell you what I did for my 6th birthday party. Am I twisted, or is this normal?
Memories are like muscle memory - they come back to you triggered by special events, scents, or even just actions a part of your daily routine. But what makes a memory stick? Milestones are naturally bound to make a lasting impression and be remembered for years to come, but I think it is the little things - the minor memories tucked away - that are sometimes the best treats when they come to mind - like a warm hug from your past.
What minor memories stay with you? (and make you want to reference a cheesy Barbara Streisand song from perhaps one of the most epic love stories of all time?)
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