Dreaming

Sunday, September 10, 2023

It’s getting close to my eldest sister’s wedding anniversary. She and her husband are gone, but the date stays in my mind. Back when they married, I was little more than a toddler and was their ring bearer. My bits of active memory from that occasion are few but strong enough to nudge me each September as their date draws near.

Memories are interesting, and I try to be very careful with them. When I was young, I seemed to remember accurately everything that happened and all associated details. However, over time I learned to recognize that wasn’t so, that memory is a very tricky business. I find that my memories often alter reality and slant more toward reflecting my wishes.

Right now, remembering that wedding and my role in it, I recall being dressed in a fancy white outfit and feeling pretty. However, years later, my mom told me that while I was marching that ring down the aisle, I obviously needed badly to visit the bathroom, causing viewers to chuckle. Well, that isn’t in my memory!

So, remembering always makes me pause for not being able to count on accuracy. Yet, I love having memories, slanting as they may toward whatever I might wish. Right now, remembering as best possible, my child-self at that long-ago wedding, I am seeing myself all gussied up in a fancy white dress and being completely adorable. Why not?

Dear Friends: Our memories age and alter in step with all else. Diana