Tuesday, September 2, 2008

MIND OVER MATTER



What is your earliest memory? One of my nieces claims she remembers the trauma of being born and squeezing out her mother’s birth canal. Hard to top that.

I’ve settled on age 3 when I had my earliest memory. I had measles, felt like hell, and Mama Bore was rocking me in a red vinyl chair in the dining room. I had a pencil in my right hand and was poking holes in the vinyl. Why that stands out in my mind is beyond me, but she has confirmed it. It’s so insignificant. I also have other early memories of throwing up at Christmastime and losing my two front, lower teeth, at age five, by biting my father’s hand. I recall crying at kindergarten class after a boy pulled my hair and then sitting in the large lap of the teacher, Auntie Hazel, with another cry baby, who is now the president of one of the banks back home.

My memory becomes much more vivid and positive in nature when I was in first grade, which I loved a lot more than the three days I lasted in kindergarten. I sat at a table between two 6-year-old hotties, J. L. and Monty, neither of whom pulled my pony tail, so I adored them. Now, I don’t remember what costume I had for Halloween, but Monty was a tiger. These guys became such good friends, I’d sometimes go to their homes to play after school. The light switch in J.L.’s bedroom was a clown’s nose. What an oddball memory to have.

What stays with the brain over the years confounds me. Some piddly events are permanently imprinted. Others are fleeting thoughts that fade, never to return. I can understand why we might easily recollect significant occasions in our lives, but why the minor ones? Why can I still watch myself chewing on Big Chief tablet paper, listening to Mrs. Hull, my 3rd grade teacher, read from Little House on the Prairie after lunch recess? Why can I recall going through my teen-aged big sister’s scarf box and falling in love with the blue scarf that had silverish keys on it? It makes no sense to have all these old, useless pieces of information on my mind when I should be shoving new, important facts into my head.

I think I may need to have my brain washed!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't remember much of my childhood, let's say before the age of 5 or so. Maybe having parents divorce at a young age made those memories fade, I dunno!! Hold on the memories!

Sarah said...

One of the first memories that I can recall is tipping over in my potty training chair. My mom was walking into the kitchen and I guess I leaned way over and I just remember I kept going. ;) Not sure if there was a mess or not.

Jaime said...

My earliest memory is my aunt walking my sister & I to the back of Jim's IGA to have our pictures taken. The pictures prove I was probably around 3 1/2. Whoever heard of pics. in the back of the grocery store, and why, of all things, do I remember that?! Who knows... I wish I had a say in it though. I might keep that image, but there is some worthless clutter I'd like to clear out to make room for news memories!

Anonymous said...

I remember being at the lake outside Chanute, brushing all the rocks clean with my little broom and later having my Dad help me climb on the train in the park. It's all still there. That was 56 years ago. Did you know I went to kindergarten in Sterling, Co.? My boyfriend was Robert and he was a cutie. I pretty much remember everything since three but can't remember who I went to the prom with or what my co-worker's name was at my last job!!

Loni said...

I have been racking my brain trying to think of my "earliest memory". I can think of lots of little things, but I think most of them came from looking a million times at the scrapbooks my Mom kept! It is hard to seperate the things I actually remember and the things people have told me or I've seen in pics. But I do know I DO NOT remember my own birth...thank God!!!

dr. maureen said...

I remember being taken up to the convent at the Catholic church in Pittsburg to sing "The Ballad of Davey Crockett" to the nuns. I was about 3 and obviously this was the start of my showbiz career. The penguins were a bit scary but I belted it out...