Remnants, little messes, of a trip sprinkle our home, inconvenient piles of receipts, phone chargers, small change, and sight seeing brochures. They represent small, grateful monuments to happy memories. After traveling to Spain and Portugal we’re just not ready to store our reminiscences away. What vignettes will stand out? What will we remember from this journey?
Laughter ranks high on our memory list. Then there’s the feeling of being lost even when using GPS; tasting the delicious breakfast pastry derived from an old recipe; looking at the busy Lisbon shoreline from a boat while our heads of hair flew in the wind; sitting uncomfortably in narrow seats on the long flight home. The more you notice, the more you’ll remember. The more you engage with your thoughts, feelings and physical self, the more memories will be stored, the more “remnants” will be added to personal archives
According to Richard Mohs, author of “How Humans Memory Works”*, “human memory is a complex, brain-wide process that is essential to who we are.” Yes, what we remember dramatically impacts our lives, perspectives and what we perceive as truth. Yet during any 
normal 24-hour day it’s hard to recall the many experiences and seemingly insignificant moments. We move from one task to another, not necessarily very conscious of cause and effect.
normal 24-hour day it’s hard to recall the many experiences and seemingly insignificant moments. We move from one task to another, not necessarily very conscious of cause and effect.When we travel, we’re more attune to time. We notice a pretty breakfast room, vistas and beautiful architecture. “Ooohhh-ing” and “Ahhhhh-ing” are common practice. Days are super full of extraordinary moments. As a traveler, we engage fully cultivating experiences, memories, and gratitude.
How might we fill our days with significance no matter where we are? How might we remember? Here are some suggestions gleaned from life as a traveler:
-
Set a daily intention to notice and observe. Bear witness to how the day goes versus rushing around from activity to activity. In other words, decide what you wish for your day, the feelings especially.
-
At the end of the day, spend a little time, one minute even, reflecting on what happened. What stands out? What did you notice? Give thanks for the whole caboodle.
-
Take some photos. Be the tourist in your daily life.
-
Celebrate the simple occurrences, like drinking your cup of morning coffee, glancing at the beautiful mountains in the distance, listening to the sound of rain on a window. What’s already there to celebrate?
-
Deliberately use your senses
-
Move – go for a walk outside, step deliberately from room to room. Physical activity allows us to integrate mind and spirit with our body adding full throttle to engagement and memory.
As time speeds up, many become fearful of life’s speed. In contrast, others, especially younger generations,don’t contemplate how quickly the years go by. They live in the space of their lives right now.
Build memories by paying more attention to every day, like the traveler… to the magnificent and the mundane, to the remnants and the caboodles.
*https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/human-memory.htm
