Memories - Brain Food

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High School Reunion

Recently, I attended my 20th year HS reunion.  Although I was looking forward to it, I had no idea how moved I would be.  I had fun in high school but the way I see it, every year of my life has gotten better.

 I think about fun times I had over the years including trips with my family, soccer tournaments (my 'other' family), being a teenager, and life experiences but I don't always take time to recollect the many other super fun memories during those high school days using my senses.  Now, not all memories were peaches and cream either (we're talking adolescence people!) so maybe some I purposefully chose to block out, or possibly, discard.

I found it heartwarming to see so many smiling faces from such an impressionable time in my life.  No matter the kind of relationship I had with certain friends, the fact that they were part of my roots and upbringing felt instantly warm and comfortable.

Using Our Senses to Recollect

There are those people (my husband being one of them) that can recollect multiple stories along with specific details!  We can and should recall memories through our senses including smell (many people are very sensitive to smells and memories), sound and music (who doesn't relate at least one song to a memory?!), taste (my friend Chris remembered a bizarre food combination we would eat at parents house and I hadn't thought about it for years), touch and sight (seeing these people brought back memories, video, pictures, places).


The 2XL, one of my favorite toys growing up, used to say, "Let me check my memory bank" and you would literally hear it processing through all the memories.  Reminiscing is considered a free flowing process.  By remembering and sharing stories, we are preserving our own unique history.   There are many studies suggesting that recollecting memories can actually enhance your present existence and future vision. Research and demonstration projects involving reminiscing and life are happening throughout the world in the United States, Europe and Japan.* We all know how important it is to exercise our bodies however exercising our brain sometimes gets neglected.  Remembering memories is a healthy way to connect with someone (including yourself), make peace with past experiences (even negative ones you may have chosen to push away but is still lurking in your being), make you smile, visualize and stimulate your body and mind from the inside out. 

Brain Food 
It is healthy and imperative to keep your brain stimulated!  Reminiscing is one example out of many.  Crossword puzzles in another popular way.  Cross training your brain through various hobbies is important.  Practicing many hobbies may make you better at any one of them.  It forms more and strengthens neural pathways**.

Past, Present, Future
I encourage you to stimulate your body and mind by reminiscing about the past, living in the here and now, and dreaming about the future!  Go ahead, play!


Sources:
*http://www.caregiver.com/articles/general/linking_past_to_present.htm
**http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391729/index.htm


Body and Mind Enrichment. A unique way of exercising your body and mind! bodyandmindenrichment.org