The famous French writer Michel de Montaigne once said, “Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.” Happy memories may be the easiest to stomach, but those not so happy memories have an equal if not greater value. These embarrassing or sad memories teach lessons, help to give strength in equally unpleasant situations, and reveal more about a person. Maybe my memories will help you or maybe they will make you laugh at my earliest follies.
Sad memories are the hardest to remember, thankfully I have few. I remember crying when my mom went to the front of the church to sing in the choir. I remember crying for hours when my dad jokingly threatened to tip the boat while canoeing. I remember crying every time a cat died or ran away, which seemed to happen every other week in my childhood. I don’t remember crying this much as a child.
It is often just as hard to remember a frightening memory as sad and scared often go hand in hand. I remember my first bike wreck and being forced to ride a year later. I remember when I didn’t step on my bedroom floor for months, because the boogeyman was under my bed. I remember when my sister broke her leg and I stood motionless, my mind blank as she screamed. I remember riding with my sister as she was first learning to drive.
Embarrassing memories often happen in high school, but mine are a bit earlier because it’s too soon for those. I remember when my mom ran over my foot, twice in a row, in the school driveway. I remember getting yelled at when my best friend copied my answers to a test without my knowledge. I remember catching a fly ball with my face and the subsequent questions asked about black eyes and bruised face (I answered my parents best me). I hope those memories made you chuckle or at least smile to yourself.
Those not so happy memories do have a value all their own. I haven’t faced very many tough situations, but I hope my memories have taught you something either about life or me. Maybe this has inspired you to reflect on your own not so happy memories and maybe upon doing so you have learned something about yourself. Memories are the best and worst of the past; never forget either just because it hurts to remember the worst.
