RECALLING

REMEMBERING:

Everyone of us wants to recall the things that transpired in the past. Most of the time, we recall the good things -- the very first day we stepped into nursery school where we met our first friends, the program in school where we always take part of, the time we had our first crush, the significance we were able to complete our theses-- the things that made us delighted.

But then, we also recall the less pleasant experiences we had. We recall the time the teacher called us to recite and everyone else knew the answer, except ourselves. The time we finished school and we were pained to know that we could not be with our good friends anymore, like the way we used to be.

We have bunch and bunch of experiences that we know we will dote on infinitely. The happy moments, the sad moments, the tragic moments. And sometimes, it even pains us to recall.

When we received an "F" on one of our papers, we felt frustrated. When we were still learning to spell "myriad" we were groping, we were dazed. But -- didn't we overcome them all? For if not, we would have never achieved where we are at the present, would we?

Perhaps, the reason we love to reminisce is not because we want to endure to the past. As we move farther, the mnemonics become treasures for us. Through them, we have become the person we are now. Through them, we learn to keep on living. We know that we have passed the tests, and that we can also pass the tests yet to come.

THE BLISS OF RECALLING:

Recalling, one of the finest words in the English language, also happens to be one of man's finest playthings.

We recall ephemeral, carefree magnitude of our lives, and we heave and hold our breaths for effects that had been. We become fuzz-eyed at bitter memories. No matter how insignificant -- it can be the euphony of a familiar song, waft of a perfume, close similarities of places visited, meeting old friends, photographs and movies -- nearly anything can create remembrances in our minds.

It is almost a marvelous episode when one recollects. He undergoes a complete transformation within himself. He goes back to the day when he was a child, a teenager, a young man, the sort of man he was only a day ago. It is a process where he gets to size up himself in all honesty -- where he was and where he is heading to.

Our remembrances strengthen the claim that the mind does not grow old, although man does. Remembrances serve as an ineradicable videography of one's existence in a spaceship called Humus. And maybe beyond it -- no one knows for sure.

We will forever listen back to our past as long as we live, and as life goes on, we will prolong to add our compilation of remembrances. They will remain precious, infinite, and perfect in total privacy. We wish they stay with us forever.

LIFE'S SWEETISH IMMORTALIZATION:

All over the world people keep diaries to record their personal experiences, reflections, and feelings each day or at frequent intervals. All our experiences would be lost as soon as they ended, and we would lose the pleasure of happy memories as well as the agony of unfortunate moments if not for this " magnetic-lock" personal journal called diary. Often I heard "A short pencil is better than a long memory unless you are blessed with a mind like an electronic computer machine."

You'll never know how much or how little a person wants to recall life's enjoyment and agonies until he/she opens up to you, allows you a "peek" into his diary, or lets you examine his photo albums. These are all silent testifiers that tells a lot. Pictures of him and his bride exchanging "I dos" to mark the beginning of a wonderful life together; of the wedding reception made memorable by the attendance of family and friends. There would also be pictures of their first baby, his first birthday party, his JS prom, his graduation and finally his wedding. "Life is a rut, a treadmill," we always hear our elders say, in that history seems to just repeat itself, and people go through the same motions over and over again.

There would be records and clippings showing receiving well-deserved awards or promotion to the higher rung of the corporate ladder. There would be pictures of daughter's formal introduction to adult society, of doting grandparents lovingly and proudly cuddling their grandchildren. Again, there would be photos and other reminders of glory days or reverses, showing the unspeakable and unpaintable face of defeat-- in one's love or personal pursuits. All these would, of course, be recorded in that "magnetic-lock" little book called diary.

And because photographs soon fade and the embodiment in them would slowly but surely lose their faces and bodies, one can only be content to leaf through the old pages of one's personal journal to recall the good (and bad) old days with a smile, a tear, or a dot of sat.. with God's saving grace.

LIFE'S LESSON:

Not all of us value our past. Some hate it, or the things that provoke the memory, while others simply push it at the back of their mind. What we don't know is, doing so lets us miss the chance of learning lessons from those past occurences. In the end, we'll realize there really is a need for us to recall and deliberate on the things that have happened.

Often we say, "The past is dead and gone" -- what's done is done and there's nothing we can do to change a bit of it. The pain over a lost love may fade or lose power, but the memory can wait even long after it's over.

I remember this movie about Peter Pan who stopped flying; he finds out later that he can fly again by thinking of happy thoughts. We're very much like Peter Pan. What are those happy thoughts? Well, they are the good things that have happened to us, our past. We can recall about the gold old days with our family, our friends, or a loved one. It can't make us fly, but certainly it can make us feel good. If we're sad and feeling so low, a memory of happy moments can make us feel better and move us to go on with our life with reestablished optimism.

But what about sad memories-- a relationship that didn't work, misunderstanding between family members, a loved one who betrayed us, a friendship that was dismantled by jealousy? Things that went beyond our control or those that were simply disregarded? No matter how sad they may be, no matter how tormenting the pain was, one thing I can be sure of is, we all have learned from them. A learning experience that we can use in the future. Through recalling, we get to comprehend what went wrong and where we flunked.

It is said that after the rain, a rainbow follows. The lessons that we learn from each experience should not be wasted. Let's try to overcome our shortcomings and benefit on the things that we lack. It will surely make us a better person.

Memories can help us in many ways if only we know how to deal with them -- properly and promisingly.

BLAST FROM THE PAST:

When two old friends met again, one cannot just visualize the sensation and gladness they are experiencing in that occasion. Sure they're wearing old faces and just like song says, they talk about the places they've been. To get back memories is to recall the past. Recalling makes forsakenness a soothing moment.

Recalling is wealth worth remembering. Recalled memories can lighten up a depressing day, or can, in times of boredom serve as a stimulus, for it can never be tedious when you think of the good old days, right?

There are some episodes in our lives that we would always treasure: our firsts that will endlessly take spirit to us if regained from our memory bank -- like our debut, our first crush in school or in the neighborhood, our first date, the first sport we learned, and how can you forget the death in the family? And what about your first ardor?

Sometimes our hectic schedule and fast-paced life can make us momentarily forget about the enchanting things that have gone past. But we still have the supremacy and the force to recall. It only takes a little strain, and all will come flowing freely again, like water from the beginning.