Memory is an amazing thing. That goes without saying (but I’m sayin’ it anyway, clearly). In and of itself, the electrochemical process that is memory is quite an invention. The way it persists, old memories fading away and becoming as good as forgotten in our everyday lives, only to come rushing back the moment we receive some sensory cue that immediately and vividly brings an event out of the past. And it’s usually the darnedest things that spur these memories. Like shag carpet.
That’s my cousin Chris sitting next to me there on the kitchen carpet in my grandmother’s house in Burlington, IA. I used to spend a lot of time on that carpet, generally just getting in the way. There was always lots of cooking going on when we’d visit. Those are my mom’s calves there in the background.
Looking at that picture, it’s striking the way the smell and texture of that carpet come back to mind so clearly. And from those memories, more thoughts of that place begin to fill in and expand this wonderful recollection of spending time with my cousins at my grandparents’ house. I hope we’re making memories like this for Ava. I guess we’ll have to wait three decades to find out.