More than just the highlights

For most of the events we experience, we are likely to remember only the event’s highlight and its end- be it a work event, a concert, a dinner party or a holiday.

Something similar happens to our life. We remember the highlights- the moments that make us happy or sad or angry or proud. Our big achievements and failures.

For eg: You are going to remember the birth of your child, the first day she walks, etc. but you are going to forget most of the memories in between. That’s just how the human mind functions. We also tend to club memories and get confused about them. Do you remember exactly which month in 2015 did you let your hair grow out or whether it was 2014 or 2015?

Most of the things we experience in life, we shall never think of again. And that kind of in built optimization is great- it helps us focus only on what’s important for survival and growth.

But there are a few other things that you might want to remember. For eg, I like to remember when a friend tells me that they like a certain dessert from a particular sweetshop and maybe surprise them with it sometime. I also like to sometimes remember what sort of exercise routine I followed in 2018 that helped me get fit. Sometimes I simply want to know how I spent my time on a certain day where I got a lot done.

Your brain isn’t going to remember most of this for you. But if you want to remember your life as more than just a bunch of highlights then a great tool for you is writing.

You can write daily in a diary or write about a special memory or even your day.

Here’s what I do:

I use 750words as my daily journal but sometimes I also just use a pen and paper or the notes app on my phone (I am yet to organize my digital files but atleast they are all there).

For 6 months in 2019, I recorded my entire day in blocks of 20 mins. I both remember a lot that happened in those 6 months (on account of excessive note-taking) and I also have records in case I want to look back on something.

Another thing I do is post pictures or write about a specific memory that I want to remember on a Whatsapp group that I am on with just myself. (This has been inspired by a friend who does something similar on a different platform).

I don’t have a single method for keeping my memories in one place and I think it will be a long time before I am able to finalize a system. But I can confidently tell you that the days I record (especially through journaling) are days that I will be able to look back upon and smile or shed a tear or laugh or learn. I don’t write every day but I hope this musing will inspire all of us to write and remember more about our days and life.