MEMORIES
…is making them.
“Today I create new memories filled with peace, goodwill, and compassion for others.” – Louise Hay
I was driving in the car the other day with my two young daughters in the back seat. They were listening to the radio and singing along to one of the songs. All of a sudden my six year old stops and says, “I need to make memories so later in life I can remember how good my life was.” I instantly realized how profound this statement was. I knew this would be a blog topic!
How often do we get caught up in life and just function on autopilot? Do you spend most of your time thinking about what has to be done and maybe even feeling overwhelmed by all your responsibilities? I know I do sometimes. It really does require making a conscious choice to really live life and not just get swept up in life.
I am sitting here today thinking about all the things I could be doing but can’t because we are snowed in. Charlotte has not seen this much snow in a decade. I am typing this blog looking out the window at the snow falling. We are on day three now of being home bound. I admit that every now and then, I start to wish the snow was gone and I could get back to work. I am not out there networking and I gave up after day one of the snow trying to get my girls to do school work. I home school them but it is impossible to get them to concentrate when there is snow and the neighborhood girls are outside playing in it.
So I am choosing to take my six year old’s advice and make memories instead. Yesterday we all put on as many layers as us southerners can find in our closet and we headed out to do just that. We are so lucky to have access to a park with hiking trails right in our neighborhood. So we headed out in the snow and went hiking in the woods. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! This might not be something we ever get a chance to do again. We have tons of pics now and memories to go with them. We will be talking about that morning for years to come. We made memories together to remember how good our life is. It won’t matter years from now that I took a week off work or that the girls didn’t do school for a week. But we will remember the time we had an adventure walking through the woods in the snow in Charlotte, NC.
This is a reminder to us all that our lives are made up of a series of memories and you are creating those memories each and every day. What memories will you choose to create? What kind of life will you have to remember? Can you take some time out each day to create those memories? It doesn’t have to take much time. I still remember reading to my oldest daughter every night before she went to sleep. She is now grown but still remembers those times and the books we read together. Now we sneak in moments of watching TV in my bed at night whenever we can. It reminds us of those times when she was young and those good memories. I am carrying on this same tradition with my younger girls. Ending our day with some quality time together is important to us. What things can you do today and each day to create happy memories?
My grandmother had a notebook and she would write down things that made her smile or cute things I did or said as a child. This was her book of happy memories with me. She gave me this book when I was grown and I still have it. I can go back and read about all the wonderful times I had with a great lady. She is no longer with us in person, but her book of memories is.
What we focus on in life is what creates our experiences and the life we lead. I teach clients in therapy how to change their thoughts and beliefs so they can change their lives. My suggestion to you is to start making memories today that will help you remember what a great life you had. This is how you create a great life today!
Lori Ann Davis, MA, CRS
Certified Relationship Specialist