memories...#1
There are certain memories that resurface more often than other remembrances.
What is so much fun about scenes stored in my memory vault is that many times I didn’t realize at the time the portrait in front of me would become a lasting impression, much less memorable.
I like this quote I saw years ago: You never know when you are making a memory.
HUH? What's up with that?
Memories have provided a bonanza for multiple industries, including, music, drug therapies, long-term care facilities, and, memory preservationists.
According to Lyrics.com, there are over 163 thousand songs with the word memory in the title, lyrics, or, album title.
If a product’s popularity is gauged by the amount of advertising dollars spent to promote and market the product, Prevagen has to be one of the front runners in memory aids. Does it improve cognitive function? NOT according to the FDA. Too many exaggerations and false claims to explore here.
Prior to today's speak, Special Care or Dementia Care were the terms used by nursing homes (an outdated term in itself). Then, in the 1980s, Assisted Living came in vogue and Memory Care Units were born.
Digitizing Kits provided by Legacy Box and similar companies are all about memories. Photos, keepsakes, home movies, souvenirs, mementoes, and trophies are all worth big bucks.
Just how does this memory thing work?
Chris Heath, M.D. writes in Psychology Today... Memories make us who we are.....There are two types of memories: procedural and declarative... Procedural is the complex way your body and brain remember to do things, while declarative is the recall of things like what you ate for breakfast.
I like that explanation because I can understand it.
I decided to talk to some people and ask them if they would share a favorite memory. Some of the results of those conversations appear in this first of a new series.
Franco Scalzo lives in Louisville and is involved with direct marketing for a local business.
You have a childhood memory to share. Franco, are you from this area?
No, growing up I lived in London for 12 years, he said, but, we moved around a lot. We also lived in Texas and Memphis.
Which one of those places does your favorite memory take place?
This is a story about my dad when we lived in Memphis, he answered. This actually happened.
I think everybody has a favorite dad story.
Well, Franco began, back in 1978, the Memphis police and fire departments went on strike at the same time. There was chaos everywhere. I was a pre-teen sitting in the front seat of my dad's brand new Cadillac and he was driving in downtown Memphis.
I remember radio newscasts from that time period. A lot of buildings were left to burn to the ground. Crime everywhere. A really difficult time in Memphis.
Absolutely, he agreed. Buildings are burning, theft is rampant throughout the city and the two most important public service groups are on strike. A few cops were working, but, not many.
And the two of you are driving right in the middle of that lawlessness.
Yes, he confirmed. I'm sitting in the front seat of this new car and he gets pulled over by a cop. He can't figure this out. He really can't believe it. Everything all around us is burning, people are stealing anything they can get their hands on and he gets pulled over.
The classic wrong place at the wrong time?
Well, the cop walks up to the car and my dad puts the window down, he recalled. My dad looks at the cop and says, You know, sir, this city was safer when the Mafia had control.
The cop looked at him and said, Yeah, but there ain't no mafia here tonight, now get the hell outta here.
Franco was smiling or laughing all through his narration and it was clear the incident made a lasting impression on him.
Michelle Kennedy's favorite memory happened more recently. You have an interesting background, Michelle.
I do, she agreed. I was born in Athens, Greece. My dad was in the navy for 23 years and we traveled a lot.
You no doubt saw some interesting places.
Yes, and most of them were beautiful places right here in the United States, Michelle said. We lived in Hawaii too. I loved all of it. The travel, new places to live, new people.
Does your favorite memory take place in some exotic land?
Not at all, she shook her head. One of my favorite memories is the first time I laid eyes on my first grandchild.
Oh, really? What were your thoughts?
I thought how precious she is and how I never thought I could love someone as much as my own children, she smiled. And, then, to find out you absolutely can.
I can see why you hang on to that memory.
Yes, she smiled. It's nice to think about every now and then.
What about a bucket list. Anything special you haven't done?
I want to return to Athens, Greece someday, she admitted.
So, you want to hit the restart button.
Wouldn't that be fun to go back, even if it's all these years later? she wondered.
Whenever that day comes for you, I hope you make some new memories.
Thanks so much.
Coming up: another POS; a new oddities, observations, & ?'s, and; another job$ somebody's gotta do.
And, finally. As I was writing this post, I found myself wondering if there were memory competitions anywhere in the world. A quick search found out there are major memory contests.
Here are the capabilities of one of the many contestants who participate.
Boris Konrad, who lives in the Netherlands with his wife and four children, can memorize more than 100 random dates and events in just five minutes.
After 30 seconds, he can tell you the order of an entire deck of cards.
During the 2009 German Memory Championships, Konrad memorized 195 names and faces in 15 minutes.
He has won the Guiness World Memory Championships four times.
He claims anyone can do what he has done.
I signed up for his newsletter.
Huh? What's up with that?
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