Memory is a story we tell ourselves.

At the Scott Silvan show, he talked about memory - how we create a truth that we can live with. I found his show fascinating as he kept leading us to his childhood memory that we realise at the end of the show is very different to what we first see.

This article points out that memory isn't a recording device, but a reconstruction.

I've had two recent examples of this, which have made me question my memories. Neither important moments or tainted with complex emotion.

One was at the 1996 Melbourne grand prix. Martin Brundle had a massive crash (an airborne barrel roll) yet managed to run back to the spare car in time and restart the race. We were all cheering and yelling as he ran past, watching the clock and hoping he'd make it to the pits in time. I'd been telling this story for years as it was such an exciting and elating moment. I looked up the footage and discovered he'd not run past our stand. He'd been driven in the safety car to the pitlane and run back from there to the garage. So my memory of him running past us, I realise, we watched on the screen. We all stood and yelled and cheered him on, but on the screen.

I was so surprised when I saw the footage. I still see 'how I remember it' but I know it's wrong.

The other more recent example is about a shared memory where 5 of us remembered it differently. Our Champagne club has been on many lunches and dinners out. After one, we went to a bar in Darling Square where we talked about the robots we could see in XOPP. Fast forward five or so years and we finally went to dinner at XOPP because of the robots. We were discussing the day we were at the bar, and all of us remembered it being after lunch at a different restaurant (except me who wondered why were were even there - I knew it had to be after a lunch but couldn't think of any in the area that made logical sense). One person was right. Most of us didn't even remember going to that restaurant with the group. Some were adamant their incorrect memory was correct. I was astounded that the five of us were at the same event and all five of us remembered in completely differently (all good, happy memories, just the facts were muddled).

It made me realise how fluid our memories are. If these can be so mixed up without any strong emotion or importance attached, imagine what resentment, anger or hurt can do to them? Not to mention the different recall with multiple people bringing their experience and feelings to the 'memory'?

Have you discovered some of your memories weren't as they seemed?

The beautiful reflection pictures are from the new exhibition at White Rabbit. It's free and worth checking out. You can also grab dumplings at the tea house for lunch.

Other posts on Memory: 

“Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.” ― Marcel Proust

Enjoy the moment for what it is

Do not trust your memory; it is a net full of holes; the most beautiful prizes slip through it. Georges Duhamel

No two children have the same parents.

And even a short fiction here.

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Early Morning

The kiddo has to do an HSC work placement that starts at 7 so currently I am driving with the gorgeous pink dawn sky on the horizon.

Every corner turns into another spectacular view.

While I can't take photos of those, here's some others to give you the gist.

Short and sweet for #Allseasons.

#Allseasons linky runs  from Thursday to Wednesday each week. 

Link one post that shows something seasonal. Traditional weather wise, a seasonal nature marker or a seasonal celebration. 

Make sure you link back to this  #AllSeasons post. 

Please comment on the post before yours and the host. Don't dump and run. 

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You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Birds in Tahiti

They say as you get older, you get weirdly interested in birds. And I definitely am a cliche.

Where ever I go, I merrily try to get great bird shots, or shots of interesting birds.

In Moorea, I was skulking around with my camera when not on a paddleboard or in the water.

I quite liked one of the fails....

In Papeete there was much excitement at our table when a chicken strutted into the restaurant!

I even noticed birds on my book! I have no idea why I've suddenly grown so interested in them...but why fight it?

Linking with #WildbirdWednesday #AwwMondays #NaturesNotes #SaturdayCritters and #GardenAffair

Tell us about...the Supernatural

I am an existentialist. I have been since before I knew what it was. As a child of 5 or 6 I'd get night panics about ceasing to exist when I died, about the world continuing on for everyone except me. I was 16 when we read Le Mur in French class and the prisoner basically vocalised all my thoughts. I was so surprised I exclaimed 'That's what I think!' (having kept it to myself at my religious school, thinking I was weird for believing it). The teacher looked at me and said kindly "There's a whole school of thought on this, it's called Existentialism". There was comfort in leaning it wasn't something crazy in me.

So I am aware there is a certain degree of cognitive dissonance in what I'm about to tell you.

I am extremely superstitious, because why push your luck? In New Caledonia a guide asked if I wanted to go into some cave. He phrased it "You can go in, if you want to?" I asked him if he was going in and he said no, it was protected by Black Magic. I declined because why ask for trouble and also a lot of warnings about caves are because bad things happen - flash floods or collapse, or getting lost. The threat of the supernatural is to keep people out for their safety. There's a logic.

With my recent health issues, while in Kyoto, I went to the Yasui Konpira-gu shrine to remove the tumours. You crawled thru the tunnel and returned, making your prayer and sticking it on the rock. I also got the little  health amulet/prayer token at the Sanjusangen Do Temple because it can't hurt. My liver issues have cleared up, and I'll find out soon enough about the tumours. (As an aside, the photos of the gardens at Sanjusangen are here and here with snow and here gleaming after the melt).

Here's were it goes off logic. I have lived in a house with a ghost. 

When we moved into our first share house, it was me and another woman and a guy. In the first few weeks, I kept thinking someone had arrived home and was standing behind me. I'd turn to ask them about their day or tell them the movie I was watching had just started or something, and there would be no one there. It wasn't scary, it was just odd. 

Then I began to get a clear image of him. He was an old man (though really probably late 60s). I could tell when it was him behind me. I didn't see him visually, but I could see him in my mind. 

After about a month, the other woman said to me "I need to tell you something but you can't make fun of me". When I agreed, she said "I think there's a ghost". I jumped in "There is a ghost!" and she got cross saying "Don't make fun of me!" I had to reassure her I wasn't. She said it wasn't there all the time (I agreed) and the cat could see it. The cat would look straight at where she felt it was.

The difference was she thought it was an old woman. I was certain it was a man. It's only just occurred to me writing this 35 years later that maybe it was a couple and a different ghost was showing itself to each of us? She felt it was a little scary whereas I felt no threat at all. I felt it was looking over us to make sure the house was in good hands. 

I'd sometimes talk to it, asking if we were meant to do something for it but of course there was never a reply, Things didn't move around, there were no eerie noises. Then one day I realised it hadn't been there for a month or so. My friend said to me out of the blue "I think the ghost has gone". So we both felt it leave around the same time too.

I know there is no logic to this story, It's just odd we both experienced it for weeks without talking about it. The guy never saw it or felt it. He thought we were making it up to scare him.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Linking with #TellUsAbout and #TalkaboutitTuesday #WeekendinB&W

The pictures are more in the #Haunted series. 

Other ghost posts are Ghost party and Ghosts but they are not about the supernatural.

Rainy Season

A month's worth of rain has been forecast for the next week. I woke this morning to the down pour and I'm already sick of it.

I had planned to walk the 6 kms to tonight's event but that's out.

As is any other outdoor exercise.

Lots of tearing around in the car and some how 'exercising' the dog indoors.

So while I sulk about the weather, here's the pics from last week's morning walk.

And a couple of the cheery graffiti that is popping up all over the inner city.

Linking with #GalleriaHimmelsblick #Skywatch #WordlessWednesday and #WordlessWednesday

Animal Safari

 

I was on a dog walk when I saw this...

then suddenly, wild life abounded.

Sort of.

I went back a few weeks later and the bear is still there.

The ibis is not.

Sometimes there's a little magic in the mundane.

Linking with #WordlessWednesday #YouretheStar #WeekendCoffeeShare  #MySundaySnapshot