Worth remembering

It makes perfect sense that human beings can't store everything in their long term memory. It would drive one crazy to remember everything, but maybe we never actually forget. There are a few theories out there that suggest that everything's just tucked somewhere deep in our subconscious. It's kind of like that nondescript shirt that's stuck in the back of the closet. You forget all about it until you do your spring cleaning. 

Today I remembered one such memory from the past. An event so uneventful, it's a wonder it made it into the overstuffed closet of my brain. I was 12 years old, laying in a woven hammock in our backyard on Long Island. The hammock was tied a really beautiful, ancient oak tree. My mom used to say that the tree used to be a wise old man before it was a tree (it had a big knot in the center that resembled a wrinkly face). There was a slight breeze that moved the leaves back and forth, and the sun would twinkle and sometimes get in my eyes. At that moment, I remember thinking about how lucky I was. I remember feeling so happy, but for no reason really. It seemed like any other afternoon...

I feel like life always gives us hints. Maybe the purpose of remembering this was to remind myself that I don't need anything to be happy, I just need to be...and then I will be happy. It's funny how certain things are so obvious when you're young. It's almost like we unlearn as we get older.