Memories

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We all have memories ~ some good, and perhaps some not so good...
Some people have great recall for things that have happened in a distant past, while others are more ‘short term oriented’.
Somehow it also seems to be influenced by our realm of interest. Things that are not that interesting to  us are easier to forget; whereas things that are really important to us at that time can be remembered for ever. What is or isn’t important to us is very personal ~ what is important, or even a ‘big deal’ to one person can seem infinitely small to another. So it is not necessarily the factual event that makes something a ‘big deal’, but more the personal, emotional content of whatever is happening.

Looking at the way our memory works, it is divided in short term memory and long term memory, and on top of that in logical or aware memories and sensory or unaware memories.

Something can have happened yesterday and be lodged in the short term memory. If it is important enough it can from there be ‘transferred’ into the long term memory.
Now part of this memory is going to be logical, factual, and aware. In other words, we know what has happened, we can clearly recall the events. Another part of that same memory is sensory, and therefore unaware, or subconscious. Things like scents, sounds, a specific color of the sky; all those things are picked up by our senses and committed to memory ~ without us ever becoming aware of it necessarily.

When later in life a similar sensory signal is picked up again ~ it can bring the (possibly unrelated) memory back to mind.
For me, the scent of a specific kind of cigaret can instantly bring up vivid memories of a tropical country I visited long ago and far away...

In a sense, this is very similar to memories we can have from experiences or even information we may have received while in meditation... While we are still in that subconscious state of mind, we still have access to the memory and can recall that experience. But as soon as we return to our conscious, logical perspective ~ our day to day lives ~ the experience often proves to be fleeting and easily forgotten.

It is one of the reasons why often the advice is given to keep a notebook at hand to document meditative experiences or dreams. Once written down there is a record to fall back on; although often the act of writing the experience or dream down is enough to allow us to become fully aware of what has transpired...
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