Hiba Kathawala Week 15: Muscle Memory?
Muscle Memory?
A beach I visited last summer
As summer approaches, memories of past vacations and summer breaks are resurfacing in my memory more and more often. The pool parties with my friends, fun trips to the beach, and lazy weekends with my family and friends are vivid in my mind, and make me grow excited for the upcoming months.
Memories can be recalled like a muscle. As summer comes, I remember memories of summer, same as before winter break, I might recall previous winter breaks. It becomes a habitual cycle of recollection. Due to nostalgia, anticipation for future experiences are often more exciting than the experiences themselves.
Daydreaming and recalling memories get intertwined, and start going hand in hand as the past merges with what we hope to be in the future. For example, when I am studying for my AP Biology exam, I often think about evenings lounging in my pool for motivation. This is a daydream, but it emerged from past memories of actually lounging in my pool over summer.
This is because when we recall experiences, our memories of them are often reimagined more vividly and positively than the event itself. I have started realizing this more and more as I think about my summer break. In my memories, the sun is perfectly warm instead of the blazing hot it was when I was lounging in my pool. Instead of remembering the uncomfort of having my body submerged in cool water and the other part burning in the sun, I simply remember the moment being warm and comfortable. This goes to show that our brain remembers things differently than what actually happened.
This is why, though my summer last year was okay, I am remembering it as a truly amazing time in my life—the timing of summer coming up triggers a spark of nostalgia.
Even though memories or daydreams of past and future events can be misleading because they are often better than real life, they are still fun to think about. They make us excited for what is to come, which is sometimes just as important as the experience itself.
Hi Hiba! All your talk of summer is making me itch for school to end. But seriously, I love how you connected your summer memories to muscle memory. You’re so right about how our brains remember the better parts of past moments; I can definitely relate when it comes to the beach. In the moment, I feel sand everywhere, relentless heat, and my stomach growling because I’m starving. But looking back, I just remember playing in the ocean with my friends, making sandcastles, and eating ice cream. It’s funny how we end up romanticizing our memories, like our brains have some kind of emotional muscle memory. Thank you for sharing! I can't wait to see what you write for our final blog posts!
ReplyDeleteYo I love the picture you put up and it honestly made me wonder how it all connects to muscle memories. It's a crazy thing to be honest, how our brains remember the best parts to remember and discard everything else. For instance, whenever I try to think of disneyland I lowkey get nostalgic. I think about the food, the laughs, the beautiful buildings and fairytale atmosphere, and I tend to forget the hardships that came along with these memories. I forget how damn expensive the food was, I forget waiting in a 2 hour long line with an aching body, I forget how I low on energy I was the entire day, I forget arguing with my sister on which ride to go on first and wasting a whole hour on just that; in retrospect I can see how muscle memory tends to favor the more bright, the more happy, the more alluring times, and leaves out the hardships that made it happen in the first place.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog and tbh I can draw a lot of parallels between your topic this week and mine!
-Keep on writing!
Hakim
Hey Hiba, your blog could not be more relatable. There are so many different ways I associate seasons or months, or even just small moments of time with certain emotions or activities. Every summer I make it a point to go camping with my family friends, and now it is just as important as a national holiday for us. We already plan ahead making sure everything is in order for us to continue with our yearly traditions. Even during school as the semesters change I feel myself adjusting differently.
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