Memories!
Subtle they form yet they stand so profound, shaping us and defining our course.
Memories!
Buried within our brain archives are memories, memories that are either nostalgic or cynical, traumatic or gratifying, scary or daring, terrifying or inspiring, or any of the adjectives our mind can conjure.
By some miracle, each of our memories has one way or another to satisfy one of the emotions within the known human emotional depth. They make us either happy, sad, inspired, depressed, optimistic, dauntless, or something else.
Each memory, a progenitor of a life event, has the possibility of either being forgotten or being etched in our brains forever.
Casual events are to casual memories, just as happy events are to happy memories. Sometimes, we encounter an event that produces an alternative memory, a happy event with a sad memory.
Ultimately, as we journey through life, we encounter certain events: LANDMARK EVENTS. These events are etched forever resulting in a certain level of moral adjustments in our lives.
Soft rain pattered down our roof, and bright light bulbs electrified our compound.
Growing up in a tenement building, rainfall came with a certain level of excitement on a 6-year-old like me, but tonight, the atmosphere was tense; resting in our bedroom was my sick father, cared for by my mother and concerned neighbours.
I stood by the doorway, watching as the rain was harvested, the big basin by the door overflowing with rainwater. I stood there lost in thought, even for a child, being torn between wanting to go and play in the rain whilst still being cautious of the looming danger of being caught by my mother was taking a toll on me.
Oblivious of what was happening in the bedroom, suddenly, the falling of our oil lamp, followed by the piercing shouts from my mother broke the night's silence. Everything changed, I changed, and our life changed, for at that moment, he (my father) left this world behind.
Looking back and piecing the events of the coming days after that, the flow of sympathizers and family members looking for a part of the inheritance, and there I was, business as usual, playing with whomever I could find, just seemed unusual.
There's a special move that comes with memories; I call it the 'sneak attack'. One moment you're all giddy up, and the next, a memory just creeps up on you and puts you down. Sometimes, you are at your lowest and then a goofy event with you and your pals flashes across and breaks your face into a giant smile. The sneak attack!
Good or bad, we go on about piling up the treasures that will be the entirety of our life, the events we look back on, and measure how we lived our lives.
Whilst there are uncontrollable events, there are those we are in control of. I go about my days being intentional about the kind of memories I want to be stored in my brain.
When you do grow old, what memories will you be holding onto?
When your time is up, when you leave this world behind, what memories will you be leaving behind?
They seem like terrible questions to ponder, but getting answers to them helps you ascertain the kind of life trajectory you'll be working towards.
Cheers, to making memories!
Happy New Year!
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