I have always enjoyed writing, and since I was in fourth grade, I have kept a journal with me. Journaling just helps me speak when my voice can’t. I don’t write every night in it, but I always have it with me for when I need it, whether to write or doodle. Recently, I found myself doing scientific writing more often than my actual journaling. Probably because of my classes and the research I do on campus, this is why I decided to take a creative writing class this semester to learn more about writing outside the science world.
For my class this past week, I had an assignment that focused on creating a poem after reading a brief section of “I Remember” by Joe Brainard. For the poem, we had to list our memories from earliest to most recent. I am currently learning about poetry, so I am not going to talk about poetry. Sorry if I led you to believe that I was, but actually, my article is about memories and remembering those memories. You see, while doing the assignment, I realized that we are sometimes so absorbed in our daily life and our to-do lists that we forget to take a moment and cherish our memories.
For me, remembering past and recent memories helps me know the hard work I have done and the good times I have had with my friends and family. This helps, especially in the low days. When I am feeling down, overwhelmed, or tired, I take a moment and remember the times that I didn’t feel the way I was feeling, such as stressed or overwhelmed. Just because it’s a reminder that whatever hard time is happening in my life, it will pass.
Also, sitting down with your friends and family to talk about all the moments you have shared together might actually help you grow closer together and reconnect. Sometimes I find myself in a race to go to class, work, study, and fulfill all the deadlines that I see talking to my family and friends as another thing in my to-do list and not as something I should cherish. But, with this assignment, I realized I remembered memories from my childhood, such as climbing the guava trees at my grandparent’s house, as well as a more recent memory, like getting excited about having a bagel with Nutella and strawberry cream cheese. After writing my memories down, me and my friend had a nice, funny conversation that we realized we both needed. Our conversation might have started with memories, but it ended with current concerns and future aspirations.
I am no expert, but this might be a good activity to practice for fun. It does not have to be connected to anything spiritual or super deep meaning. It could be just a fun thing to do at the start, middle, or end of the day. Just like writing out the dreams you remember, if you are unlike me, you tend to forget them in an instant of waking up. This is just something you could do and look back to in the future and have a good laugh. For me, I remember because it helps keep my soul alive and going since forgetting is my biggest fear.