I subscribe to a daily quotation delivery by e-mail. Yes, another thing to read and take up space in my inbox, but occasionally I find it a rewarding and worthwhile quote, and it doesn't take long to read every morning.
Todays' quote:
Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be driven.
Jean Paul Satre
I have to strongly disagree with today's quote. That doesn't' happen very often. The thing is, one of my greatest fears concerns the fragile nature of the human mind and the possibly of losing my memories one day, be it in part to Alzheimer's, dementia, or what have you.
We can be driven from memory.
Sad but true.
Sorry to oppose, JPS.
That has always been one of the underlying motivators of my on-going thorough assembly of photo albums, habitual calendar documentations, and personal journal writings. I don't want to lose my life by failure of mind.
6 comments:
So funny, 'cuz as soon as I read that quote, I was like, WTF? Beautiful sentiment, but just not true.
Maybe it's because I, like you, have that fear of losing my memories. It's already happening. I've recently reconnected with some old friends from high school through MySpace. We talk about the good old days, but in truth, I don't remember much of it.
When my grandmother was dying, I just kept staring at her hands. I wanted to burn their image on my memory, so I would never forget how strong and beautiful they were. My earliest memories were of those hands, wiping away my tears, picking me up when my mom had knocked me down.
Sarah, you're so sweet and beautiful. I hope you never forget a thing. Including how much I appreciate you, and your words.
Snow! In Tucson! It looks so much prettier there than it does here! I hope it doesn't spoil the fruit crops.
My mother says that working crosswords, which she does daily, exercises the mind in ways that help to preserve memory. Ditto playing card games, like Euchre or Bridge. I think journals & photo-journals are great, too, and some day your kids will think they're a real treasure. A very worthwhile pursuit!
It's snowed in AZ? What next?
Sheesh, flukey weather in a flukey old world.
The mind and it's workings, scare the sh*t out of me too, I'm not so worried about mine, I mean really, everytime I think something like that is happening I realize it's nothing. Oops I really shouldn't say that in light of all that's happened to me lately.
I worry more about the people who I love losing their mental faculties. Watching someone who I love go through those personality changes and functioning changes, and wondering if it's worse than I think or hopefully God/Goddess it's not as bad as I think...
I'm going to put this on my list of things to pray about every night before I try to fight for sleep.
love to you and those babies, the little puddle jumper and the prize fighter in the womb too. xx, Lori
As soon as I saw the news this morning on my personalized google homepage - snow in AZ!- I immediately thought of you :) We had snow last Friday up here in the high desert - but snow in Tuscon is even cooler. That picture is great, glad to see you survived the blizzard ;)
(must call grandma...must call grandma...)
I have lots of wacky ideas about memory. I have this theory that if one is really paying attention to a moment, that moment is burned into our genetics for good, possibly even passed down from generation to generation. When one is speeding through, not noticing the things which put a memory into context, it's easier for that memory to be covered up with other memories, but I ALSO think all of the memories are there, in a file. The technology that calls them up is what fails some times. Like switching from floppies to CDROMS and not having a floppy drive, or something.
Repressed memories really fascinate me. I have forgotten anger.
I've forgotten yelling at people.
Interesting why I'd do that.
I've also heard that exercising the mind with crosswords and reading help with memory. This is certainly true for my grandmother, who has done both her entire life. SO if we can exercise our brains, we have more control over our lives than current medical field would have us believe.
Not to mention, sometimes I think dementia is a way for a person to prepare for the next phase of life. Most people I've met with dementia have become confused by time, and begin thinking they're twenty years, forty years, sixty years younger, in the company of those from an earlier time. Maybe it's sad to be a grandchild who isn't remembered, but it was comforting once I realized my other grandmother seemed so ready to return to her childhood family. I think it's the mind's way of coping. But, who knows.
Sorry. Chatty today.
You inspire it.
Love and hugs.
Snow in Tuscon? Woah! Did Miss L like it?
I keep items that trigger memories, but there are also many things I'd like to forget.
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