Your Earliest Memory
A 30 day writing challenge- Day Two
Memory is the faculty of the brain by which information is encoded (process often known as Learning), stored, and retrieved when needed.
Memory is vital to experiences, it is the retention of information over time for the purpose of influencing future action. If we could not remember past events, we could not learn or develop language, relationships, or personal identities.
Memory is not a perfect processor, and is affected by many factors. The manner information is encoded, stored, and retrieved can all be corrupted. The amount of attention given new stimuli can diminish the amount of information that becomes encoded for storage. Also, the storage process can become corrupted by physical damage to areas of the brain that are associated with memory storage, such as the hippocampus. Finally, the retrieval of information from long-term memory can be disrupted because of decay within long-term memory. Normal functioning, decay over time, and brain damage all affect the accuracy and capacity of memory.
I would like to thank Wikipedia for the above paragraphs explaining why I have severe memory decay. Today’s topic is a true struggle, because I really do not remember things well. I am very creative and extroverted. What I cannot remember I just create new. Now this is not saying that I have no memories. I have lots of memories, or pieces of memories from all ages in life. Good and bad memories. Due to this fact of bits of memories, I think I’ll write about several. A collage of memories from a period of about 10 childhood years. Because just one early memory would be pretty boring. Also because my earliest unspecific memories are with my brothers.
I remember the swinging bridge on Craig’s Creek that we had to cross to get to our house. I remember it because I was scared to death to cross, when my two older brothers would jump and swing it from side to side. I was afraid of falling into the creek. I remember the night my youngest brother was born- mom needed a hair tie. He was born in the old Link house where we lived from the time I was about 5-7 years old. I remember the bug collections, and playing in the creek. I remember mom shooting at the snake in the kitchen and trapping bats under Lego buckets in that old house. I remember the bees nest on the outside of the window, and I remember trying to learn how to rank a load of wood on the back of Daddy’s truck that wouldn’t fall off or crumble immediately.
My earliest memories were consumed with family. Spending hours upon hours with my brothers, riding big wheels, and climbing the cheery tree. My baby brother was never a baby. He was born big and stayed big. He is still big. But we spent countless hours together playing with cars, and trucks. He even played Barbie’s with me a couple times.
My older brothers were always determined to pick on me and make me tough. I guess it worked. I think I’m pretty tough now. My oldest brother passed away, but the memories of the years I had to spend with him will never fade. He was mean, he was artistic, and he was an inspiration. He left an impression on my memory so big and so great that no words will ever explain it the way I feel it.
My middle brother was my best friend- we were closest in age. We liked all the same sorts of things, bugs, animals, art, dirt…… And although time has separated us he is still my brother, and my friend. We all have families of our own now, but I still get really happy inside when I get to hang out with any of my brothers. That time is our own rekindled moment of memories, from the earliest pieces of memories in my mind flashing in a slideshow.
Now a days, I try to write everything down...... It seems to me to be the best way to hold onto memories, writing them down, and taking photos, lots and lots of photos.
Please share your earliest memory?
Your Earliest Memory
By: Erin StClair
A little over a year ago, my husband and I took my step-daughter to see the Pixar film Inside Out. While I was expecting a cutsie Disney-esque movie, I was pleasantly surprised at how informative the movie was in describing the processes of the human brain, specifically in describing the memory functions in terms easily grasped by youthful viewers.
The movie follows a young child who is forced to move across the country, leaving all of her friends behind. She quickly becomes depressed, and the audience gets to see what happens when sadness touches every single memory she has, by way of a character named sadness accidentally touching the spheres that contain old memories, and making a mess of them. In the movie we see all of the human emotions as characters living inside the brain. They each perform specific functions, but as we all know, the brain can go haywire at times, and as a result our emotions can take over.
Memories in the movie are stored in round orbs. Short term memories are converted to long term at the end of each night. 5 core memories (the best memories) are stored separately in a console which they try desperately (to no avail) to keep sadness away from.
We all have our own core memories. These are the memories that shaped our lives. The biggest and most important events that we hold dear. While age has sapped a good deal of my long term memory, (memories are eventually replaced with new memories, I mean, the space in our heads isn't infinite) I still retain a few core memories that I can share, although pinpointing my earliest memory, feels impossible. One of my favorite childhood memories is the Cabbage Patch craze of 1983. The cabbage patch dolls were a hot commodity that Black Friday, and as a 5 year old, that was ALL I wanted. My father was a long haul truck driver, and he stopped in 5 states trying to find one of those elusive dolls. What I ended up with was a knockoff doll, whom I named Emma and loved as dearly as if she had born the coveted Xavier Robert's signature on her bum. The other thing I have, is the lifelong knowledge that my dad stood in MULTIPLE black Friday lines over a period of days (and we all know how those people can be) and still didn't get the doll I wanted... but boy it speaks volumes for the love he had for me. That's a core memory that will never be replaced.