Life is so short. Days turn into months, months into years. Happy days, sad days, all turn into memories or disappear into oblivion.
There is no way of slowing it down. There is no way of capturing every moment so that we could remember every joke, every kiss and every ice cream we enjoyed.
Ask me if I am able to recall what I did yesterday, and I will proudly tell you everything. Ask me what I did last month, and I will struggle to conjure up many life events.
But that's normal. That's human nature. We cannot keep everything in our heads.
That is why emotionally charged events tend to be remembered much better than mundane happenings.
But is there a way to keep memories of those insignificant but special moments? Kids being silly, conversation with loved ones, picturesque rainbows outside your less-than-instagrammable outside porch?
Fortunately, there is an easy way to aid our memory to keep even those daily occurrences that don't make our hearts beat faster.
If we capture those a daily events, track what we do, we can use it to trigger our memories.
How do you do it?
Use your phone, tablet, journal, notebook or a planner.
Set an alarm for a set time in the evening.
Give yourself 5 minutes to think about the day just passed and those fascinating things that have happened.
Now capture five ordinary things that made this day special.
It could be:
My cat fell off the chair in its sleep. He looked all confused when he landed on the floor.
My daughter's school had a disco. She got upset that she didn't win a medal for the best dancing.
Lovely sunset - red and orange.
I heard a song on the radio that sent me straight back to my school days. I even remembered that weird jumper I used to wear.
My 2-year-old said: "I love you, mummy". It was so sweet.
As you can see, all those occurrences were more than mundane.
But they are what make our life - well, our life.
It's those routine happenings that we forget the minute they happen - that's what is the essence of life. Funny words our kids say or mispronounce when they are young. Things we say to our loved ones, feelings and emotions we experience when we go for a walk or read something that touches our soul. Dinners we cooked. TV programs we enjoyed.
It does not need to be a lengthy recital of your day. Not at all.
Instead, it should be something short and snappy, something that you could do in a few minutes. Something that you don't see as a chore, one more thing to add to your never-ending to-do list.
Ideally, these notes should become a daily habit you look forward to.
When I started my first daily happenings log - I struggled big time. Everything seemed insignificant. I could not remember anything worth capturing. But as I persevered with my practice, it became easier to think of things to add.
My daughters hugging each other every morning. I would think awww and forget about it clouded by daily busyness. But now it's part of my daily events note. I will always temenger their little bodies and little cheeks pressed one against another.
Sometimes, I go over my limit of 5 things only. But every time I write something down, I cement it in my memory.
Now I can use it as a trigger to remember even more from that day, from that mundane daily happening.
Final Thoughts on Capturing Daily Events to Keep Your Memories Fresh
Just like photos, we could use daily notes of 5 things that happened as a way to ensure we do not forget.
Imagine how nice it would be a few years down the line to read what we wrote and be transported back to those happy long-forgotten days.