index | archives | notes Monday, Jul. 24, 2017 9:07 a.m. << [ Trying ] >> I read somewhere that when you retrieve memories, you never really retrieve the memory itself. You remember through the lens of the last time you remembered it, which is viewed through the lens of the time before that, and so on. Each time you think about a thing, you distort it. I think about death a lot. I think about the three I've lost since adulthood. I think about a smile or a phrase, or someone's eyes as they crinkled. As they will never crinkle again. And then I try to stop it. I don't want to distort the memory further. I want it to sit, perfectly preserved, until I seek it out. Like I could keep keep it fresh under a bell jar until I am ready. But I read that memory doesn't work that way either, and that the best way to remember a thing is to practice retrieving it. The best way to study for a test is to take a practice test. The best way not to forget a loved one is not to fucking forget. So don't fucking forget. << | x | >> whatiscopyright.org