There's one 80s memory I just can't block and I associate it so strongly with "Shattered Dreams" by Johnny Hates Jazz that I still shudder to this day when I hear that song.
Memory is amazing...but also somewhat unreliable. Witnesses who saw the same event will each often recall it happening differently and our own personal accounts of things from our pasts don't always hold up to what actually happened.
I try to let go of bad memories whenever possible, but find the topic of memory itself fascinating. That's why I can't wait for my copy of Moonwalking with Einstein to come in at my local library.
Here's a little bit more about the book:
Moonwalking with Einstein
I find that memory is usually kinder than the actual event behind it. I wasn't particularly happy in middle or high school, at least I don't think I was, but whenever I hear songs like "The Lady in Red" I suddenly find myself feeling peaceful and almost wonder (on nights when adulthood seems harder than being a teen ever was) if maybe it really was simpler back in the 80s.
But then I realize I'm deluding myself. Surely it wasn't as bad as I thought at the time, but neither was it a time I'd want to revisit. Even happier times aren't necessarily times we would want a time machine to take us back to...we survived yesterday and lots of times were probably great, but it's old and the future is fresh and new, no matter that it might seem harder to face because it's fresh and new.
The old and familiar is comfortable, even if it wasn't always good. I'm a firm believer that (in the grand scheme of things) there's no such thing as "the good old days." It's a fairy tale and often "the good old days" were only good for the people in control at the time....
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