Memories

Memories are moments caught in time, a frozen frame of a time coloured with the tones of emotion felt within that experience. It is part of the wheel of flashbacks that we play through our minds in moments of nostalgia as they remain untouched by the moments proceeding their occurrence.

When one sits down and looks back upon these memories, it is hard not to let elements of the present mar the moment. Love lost makes all the memories of the once-loved appear darkened by the storm of emotions we feel. We forget the “frame”, the moment of happiness caught in an eternity of sadness. We end up consumed with an anger at how easily we were deceived into the idea of happiness and find ourselves spiraling in a sea of despair. 

Not all memories induce the same effect. Some memories induce nostalgia in such a pure form that one cannot help but wish with all their might that they may return to that moment. This is a sadness of another kind. It does not ruin the memory for eternity but rather enhances the pure joy captured in that moment to such an extent that one cannot simply think of the memory without overflowing with the sad realisation that one can never recapture that happiness. Everything seems to pale in comparison.

And then there are the newer fresher memories. Those that we are actively creating and living within. They have not experienced the overpowering shadow of sadness nor have they been touched by the darkness of grief. We find that we are finally in a state of peace, even though it may be short lived. Bearing this in mind we actively seek out the creation of more memories to fill the loneliness brought on by separation. In this moment we forget how easily memories can be tainted. We forget that should life choose to deal you yet another bad hand you will find yourself with yet another heap of once pleasant memories now turned sour.

Yet we never once consider this simply because in the moment, happiness is so contagious and so overwhelming that sadness seems so far away. We cannot comprehend how we ever felt sad to begin with and we run off the high created by that happiness.

We create and shelve thousands of memories and pile them among the even larger collection of dreams. Till a day comes when we see the overlapping of the memories and dreams and we finally realise that those particular memories will never know the stench of disregard and pain. We have found a lasting memory.