Glenn Stewart Coles, 9251 Yonge Street, Suite 8-924, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, L4C 9T3
Text Box: The other night, I woke up in bed after hearing a loud bang. Opening my eyes I could see directly through the window, and fireworks were brightly creating umbrellas in the sky. I didn’t have to move my head from the pillow as I observed the sparkling colors for a few moments. Soon I closed my eyes and went back to sleep. The next morning I recalled the fireworks and recognized the dreamlike qualities of my experience. However, I was also certain that the experience had not been a dream. There is a certain feel to memory, recognition of whether it really occurred to you or not. Once a memory has been identified as real, it is stored within our minds differently than memories of dreams. In our minds are many memories. We have memories that are motivating and memories that are disturbing. Thoughts can be exhilarating or terrifying, joyous or sad. The details of our memories are related to people and places, events and experiences. The sum of ours lives until now can be accessed through memories, and the amount of information that we maintain is tremendous. Memories are stored in many ways. Sequential access and relational access are the prime ways of encoding memories, though belief systems and training have much to do with how our internal grid has formed. Once a memory is accessed, we have the capability to follow a train of thought and activate more memories. Even events from early in our lives can be accessed in extreme detail. The key element to retrieval of memory is the association of a story. Once any memory triggers access to the event, the story is activated in order to pull together the details. Within the details are feelings, and as the story expands the feelings intensify. More intense feelings are often accompanied by extreme detail in recollection. We often use memories as a tool to activate certain feelings. How we categorize and form relations with our memories is influenced by our beliefs and training. For example, would you store the memory of a roller coaster ride under the tagline ‘fun’ or ‘fear’? Would the associated feelings be exhilarating or terrifying? You may cross-reference to all roller-coaster rides, or to experiences that caused similar feelings. However it is stored, the flavor applied to the experience is unique and personal. There are two ways to apply these concepts. Firstly, it helps to recognize that all memories have a flavor that we have applied when storing information, and that this flavor may not accurately reflect all sides. Secondly, your current activities are continually creating future memories, so use your skills to create good ones. This past weekend, I visited with my family for Father’s Day. It was a perfect weekend. While any gathering of people contains imperfections, it is up to us how we summarize an event. I choose to file this Father’s Day weekend under the heading of ‘wonderful family weekends’ and another reminder of the love and support of my family. In the sum total of my life memories, I choose to feel blessed. © Copyright Glenn Stewart Coles, 2007 First Published June 17, 2007

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There is a certain feel to memory, recognition whether it really occurred to you or not.

The Persistence of Memory, c.1931
The Persistence of Memory, c.1931 Art Print
Dali, Salvador
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Sweet Memories
Sweet Memories Art Print
Rockwell, Norman
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Runaway Brain (Mickey and Minnie) - ©Disney
Runaway Brain (Mickey and Minnie) - ©Disney Art Print
Disney, Walt
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Fireworks and Stars
Fireworks and Stars Framed Photographic Print
Why, Terry
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