What We Retain

I am sure that there are a lot of people with memories that challenge mine, those with photographic memories that only need to see something once before they can recall it. Still, I consider my memory to be one of the best when it comes to learning new things and recalling moments in time.

But just for the fun of it, I sometimes like to see exactly what I do recollect from the wide variety of subjects and situations that I have been in. That is to say, I will lay in my bed and stare at a ceiling, the lights off and the window covered to leave me staring at a fairly black scene. Take it or leave it, but this is a game about memory and objects are known to trigger thoughts. Anyway, as I lay there with my whole body as straight as an arrow I will think of a subject I have not done in a long time and just see how much of it I can recall and how much more I can recall as I start to think about it. Or maybe I'll look up and think of a time years ago when I was with friends and try to think of the little details in the rooms and what our conversations were about. In this way I can sort of gauge how my memory is doing. And from completing these recollections I have learned that there is an astounding amount more I can remember than I ever thought I could. 

Some Memory Examples

For my first example, today I was laying there looking up at the dark ceiling above me and I decided to see how much of my high school Spanish education had actually stuck with me. For reference, the last time I was asked to speak anything in spanish that made even a bit of sense was my junior year of high school, or approximately seven years ago. Yet as I waited for the thoughts to procure in my head, I could already start seeing the basics of what I had learned. At first I was working my way through things like hello, where is the bathroom, and then ordering the chicken dinner at a restaurant. Anyone that has taken a Spanish course knows how easy these are to remember. But then I started diving deeper into my knowledge, going through basic body parts and some verbs and the correct way to use the verbs. I would work my way through ow to find my luggage at an airport or what the different words were for common classroom items.

Now I am not saying I remember everything that I was ever taught, but there is a surprising amount of things that I bet a lot of my high school counterparts do not remember. So it was surprising to start thinking about a language I am not fluent in nor have I spoken in a long time and just to remember so much of it. In fact, should I meet someone willing to speak slowly with me to help me remember and relearn, I am fairly confident I could at least have a conversation that made sense with them. And to that level, that small kernel of knowledge that I have retained, I am impressed.

And like I said, I do not only try this same challenge with subjects that can be found in a text book, but also with everyday life. For example, I sometimes like to lie down and think about the times I was over at my friends Vicki and Wyatt's place in Broomfield (when they were still together) and back to any given spaghetti sunday that I would spend over there. Now, I will grant that this might be a little bit unfair because I spent more time over at their place then most of their other friends, but it still is a memory I can recall. What I can remember quickly off the top of my head is as follows. They lived on the second floor of the apartment through a darkly colored door. Vicki would usually hang a decoration on the outside of the door, something in spirit with the holidays. When you would walk inside, your feet would first set onto lightly colored, faux wood flooring. To the right were two doors, one that led to a closet and one that opened to their washer and dryer machine, a stacked combinational unit. To the left the faux wood ended and beige carpeting began, a small, circular, and wooden table with four chairs hidden in the corner. There was also a couch right behind that with a light to the right, I remember the lamp having a part of the stand that broke into a bird-cage look that twisted for maybe a foot. Then there was the coffee table that looked like a chest and Vicki usually had a zen-ful decoration lying on top of it. In the far corner was the television, which for the longest time was the old box style up until Vicki's parents gave her a new one as a gift. Then there was the balcony with a sliding plastic-glass door. Wyatt had his grill out there and Vicki tried to raise some plants out there. There was also a small, black, and wire square table with two wire chairs of similar fashion. Getting back inside, there was a reclining chair, infamous for helping cause glasses to spill onto the beige rug, and then up against the wall was a small wine rack with usually a bottle or two stored inside of it. Several pictures (mostly Vicki's) lined the walls of the family room.

There is a lot more I could talk about in this memory (even going down to the pots and pans and where they stored them after dishwashing what would fit or Wyatt would clean them with a sponge), but I am just trying to show to the level of detail I like to think back. Basically, when I do these situational remembrances, I try to envision the items in my mind in their entirety because that is the actual goal. Can I see the room, who was in it with me, what were we talking about at the time and what was everyone's current problems. 

My Reasons for Testing

I am not sure which is a better test of the human memory, but like I said I do this because I want to test my memory. In my family there is a long track record of memories failing at a certain point in my family member's lives. My grandparents, my uncles and aunts, my cousins, and even my own parents are showing signs that they are having or have had trouble retaining the knowledge that is offered to them. So to test my memory is a way to gauge where I currently stand. Am I still learning things quickly or am I becoming more like them. 

From what I have read and what I have learned, this is an excellent way to actually test what a person remembers but also to see if you can still easily learn things. Seven years ago I would have told everyone that my level of intuition and my speed of retaining knowledge was at its maximum. Now I do not think that was even close. Two years ago I would have said I was wrong the first time, that at that point in time I had changed my brain enough to understand what I was taught faster. I realized about a year ago that I was far from that point when I was forced to learn much more quickly how to do things. So it leaves me opening to wondering what I can retain, how quickly I can retain the knowledge, and at what point in my life will I stop being able to absorb at the rate I currently am. But absorption of new knowledge is only as important as the ability to keep everything that was set inside prior to pushing a new set of skills. So I test to see what I can remember, how it fairs compared to the past, and then at what rate I probably can continue going.

That is not the only reason I like to lie back and think like this though, I also like the thought process involved. There is a certain zen quality, a casual sensation and tranquillity that can be brought around by performing such a task. Like when I go out to take walks to center myself, this is another way to bring me around to feeling calm and happy. And it is simple, designed to be minimalistic and encourage entertainment through self preservation. And to those effects, I highly recommend others to try this, to see what they retain and to just relax as the thoughts run through their minds.