On memories.
The other day, I had a thoughtful and delightful conversation with an excellent friend. We discussed a wide range of topics — from becoming a grandparent (him, not me) to how journaling habits help him put things in perspective. He shared a story about how one of his friends invited him to dinner and paid the bill, arguing that he shouldn’t be deprived of the opportunity to invest in memories. What a beautiful thought.
We invest in many things. And we invest many things — money, attention, emotions. But mostly, we invest in time, and ideally, we should mainly invest in memories.
The more memories I have, the slower time goes by.
When I look back, I can enjoy a myriad of small little nuggets throughout my days that help me see how fulfilled and full my past was. If all I can do is look back and I don’t remember anything from the past two months, I’d consider this time lost and simply think of it as if it flew by.
However, if I create tiny, valuable memories, I’d comprehend how much has happened. They serve as breadcrumbs to help me appreciate the journey, and the distance travelled. The two months would look like a year. The year would look like a decade. And the decade would look like an eternity. If I manage to do this, I will be able to slow down the passage of time.
Creating little milestones and nuggets is delightful. In an otherwise uneventful day, there are so many opportunities to create lasting memories — giving someone way on the road, walking down the path in a clear sky or just sitting still thinking about nothing. These memories don’t have to be from remarkable or rare events — they can be as tiny as enjoying the aroma of your morning coffee or kissing your partner goodnight. But as long as they exist, the minutes and days are not lost, and they don’t fly by. Create them and don’t throw them in the bin. This is, after all, your time, and you can never get it back.
No time like the present,
f.
