underdogishere

When I go on trips, I take pictures by the bushel-full. This was the cause recently for a coworker to remark that she never takes pictures on trips, and in fact does not own a camera. When I asked her about memories, she said, "My memories are what I remember."

Personally, I know that my memories would be much less rich if I didn't have my pictures. I go back and look at them from time to time, and my screensaver displays them at random for me. When I see each one, it takes me back to the moment it was taken: I literally hear the sounds, taste the tastes, feel the sunshine, experience my mood, and simply relive the moment. And, for the most part, they are happy moments.

I know there are other ways to capture memories: Parents keep baby books. And there's scrapbooking (welcome into our English language a new verb, "to scrapbook"). But for some reason, this week, I remembered a friend that I knew thirty years ago, and his unusual way of recapturing memories: Whenever he went to a rock concert (Heart, for example), he brought an index card and a pen. During the concert, he noted each song that was played. When he got home, he got out his albums and made a cassette tape of the same songs in the same order. Later, when he played the cassette, he said it took him back to the concert, and he could experience the entire show all over again. Without having to buy another ticket.

Labels: Musing