Don't You Just Hate it When . . .

Don't you just hate when everything blurs together? When your stories run together, and memories fuzz up? The other day I read that something has changed in the basic vibrational level of Earth. It's vibrating much faster than it did even twenty years ago, and the fact that time seems to pass faster than ever is not a figment of our imagination. Time actually is passing faster. The source that I was reading was not one I'm inclined to rely on, so who knows, but most people report feeling this is so.

Blurring definitely happens with stories. Earlier last week I sent an e-mail to my daughter with a story about something that happened sixteen years ago. The story involved a person I was working with at the time. We started discussing the story and the circumstances around it, and the people in that group. Although she was in college at the time and we spent little time together, her memory of my thoughts on matters back then was surprisingly sharp and a bit different from my own. As I think about it, I suspect that hers is the more accurate.

This brings up two points you can use in writing your stories. First, if you start keeping a journal, you'll have that to refer back to later for more accurate recall about feelings, opinions, and such things. Second, it's fine to ask others what they remember about the situation, but it will be your call what to accept and what to leave on the sidelines.

In this case, total accuracy is not important in telling the story, but in assessing my own feelings and digesting some quirks in the story, her slant pops things into sharper focus. If you are writing for self-discovery and healing, these other points of view may be especially valuable.

Write now: about a fuzzy memory you have that you shared with someone else at the time who is currently available for consultation. Relax and try to recall enough to flesh the memory out as well as you can. Then share your story with the other person and note any discrepancies. How were they different? Did you learn anything that prompted you to change your story?

or

Write an essay on your changing perception of time through the years.