Most memories only stay strong if they are accessed and reminisced regularly
As we turned the page from 2014 to 2015 I spent some time sorting our photos for 2014, including making a folder of the best of 2014. I've realized that if I don't do this each year, we simply have too many photos to easily look through (the curse of digital photography...), but having a smaller sample of these photos allows us to easily flick back through the year and remember all that happened. At some point I'm hoping to take these photos and make a movie with some of our favourite songs from last year to make it even easier (and more enjoyable) to look back on.
One important reason why I've made this a priority is because I'm convinced that a lot of what we do and don't remember (especially from our childhood and adolescence) is tied to how frequently we access memories around those times. For our kids, they have clear memories of a few trips that we've taken because we made photo books of those trips and try to pull them out on a regular basis. Seeing the places we went to and key moments we had help the memories to stay fresh in their minds.
I've become more and more aware of the importance of journalling for the same reason. Journalling is an important spiritual discipline for me because I find it helpful to be able to get out on paper how I'm feeling, what I've been processing and what's on my mind as I head into each day. However, last year on one of my personal retreats, I took my journals with me and re-read them and was grateful to be able to reflect on and be transported back to specific moments and to realize areas where I'd grown, where I'd changed and also where I'd still not taken the opportunity to move on in certain areas.
As someone who is wired to look forward and to focus on what needs to be "fixed", I know how important it is to be able to look back and remember, to be reminded about the good things that have happened (not just the mistakes or missed opportunities), to practice gratitude for all the everyday moments and significant events and to be able to see where things have changed and moved.
Looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds in 2015!
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