Trying to write down a memory from my mom's old kitchen and it's just... gone.

Last month, I was trying to tell my niece about this specific way my mom would make hot chocolate, stirring it with a little wooden spoon that had a chip in the handle. I could see the spoon, the yellow mug, the whole scene. But when I sat down to actually write it all out, the exact recipe just vanished from my head. I couldn't remember if she used milk or water, or how much sugar. It's like the more I tried to grab the memory, the more it slipped away. Has anyone else had a memory feel super clear until you try to pin it down on paper?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_tyler1mo agoMost Upvoted

My buddy was trying to describe his dad's old workshop, the smell of sawdust and oil. He could talk about it for an hour, but the second he tried to sketch the workbench, his mind just froze. It's like trying to catch smoke with your hands.

anthony_dixon1mo ago

Read somewhere our brains store smells and feelings way better than pictures. Makes sense why you can remember the air in a room but not the furniture. Memory's just built different for that stuff.

carter.julia1mo ago

My grandma's kitchen had this exact same yellow tile pattern behind the stove. I can still see it, but if you asked me to draw the layout of the cabinets right now, my mind goes totally blank. It's so frustrating how that happens.

rowan9692d ago

Memory works in weird layers, like you can pull up the feeling of a place but not the floor plan.