Which one are you? The one that slips by unnoticed? The neutral tidbit that gets lodged in my mind forever? Or are you the one that slams into my heart always to be part of me, leaving me wondering why? Wondering how life would have been different without you? Are you the one that I lather, rinse, repeat because I do it over and over and over, for good or for bad?

Memories seem to come in three categories:

1. Habits and daily occurences that become part of my memories just by sheer repetition. Mundane actions and experiences that slip by unnoticed forming perhaps a dull remembrance with little emotional impact, yet have big effects on my life trajectory because of the little successes each one provides. Doing the little thing takes me a bit closer to some goal. Not to say these aren’t important things. Perhaps showering, making coffee, putting on my shoes, my neighbor saying hi, sitting on my porch for quiet time each morning when I awake.
2. Deeply impactful and unforgettable moments or experiences that will be with me all of my life. Like when my husband asked me to marry him, when my mom told me my brother had died in a car accident, when each of my children were born. Life-changing. Sept 2011, Hurricane Floyd after moving into house
3. Memories that happen over and over and become one big memory, like watching after school TV with my brothers growing up. Gilligan’s Island, Star Trek, Big Valley, Bonanaza. (At the time we thought these were new shows. No idea some were made before we were even born.) Or having dinner as a family, helping mom make dinner, doing yard work, cleaning my room, going to the orthodontist with my mom.