Memory Book in My Mind

  
Laying here in the dark I flip through the memory book in my mind. The still shots and video play one by one as I pull them up to remember friends, places, and moments that have passed by. They are all there reminding me of courage, friendship, kindness, bravery, zest, freedom, audacity, goofiness, and fun. I feel the laughter that made my cheeks hurt, the hellos and goodbyes, the birthdays and the ceremonies, the trips down memory lane with old friends. I see stills of people only seen once that burnt into my soul. I see the pictures of the trips I took. I remember the time my mother woke me in the middle of the night when it snowed; we played in the flakes and giggled together as we snuck through the cold wet night.   I can hear the rumble of the car and feel the chill of the night through the window as I saw my first glimpse of the moon in the sky.  The moment of awe when I saw my first Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Hermitage and the minutes that ticked by as I wept in the presence of my favorite Monet in the Guggenheim are textured with life and beauty.

I feel the emotions and sensations of every scene. I can smell the wonderful scents of grandma's cookies and the orchid scented air with the first breath I took when stepping from the plane in Hawaii. I feel the heat of the heater on high with the wind blowing through the car in the old Taurus (so it didn't overheat) on an August trip with an old friend. I remember moments that made my heart skip and made the world feel still just because someone I admired spoke to me or whispered my name in kindness. I feel them all as if I were amid each moment yet again.

This one particular book is filled with reminders that life is filled with the little moments that make everything else seem worthwhile. No fire or natural disaster can take this book away. It is mine to hold on to. It contains the stories of my life.

Our minds hold our memory books from the beginning to the end.