Resurfaced memory from 5 decades ago

Bretrick

Bretrick

Well-known Member
Location
Perth Western Australia
Watching a program.
A parent - policewoman - comes home late and her son takes her dinner, (evening meal), with alfoil covering it, out of the oven and places it on the table.
The memory is, every day my grandmother would cook for the family, we children sat at the table and ate our dinner and my grandmother would place my father's dinner, with alfoil cover, into the oven for when he came home.
The oven got turned off when my grandmother went to bed.
Dad would arrive home when everyone was in bed, throw the meal in the bin.
I rarely saw him eat at home. The only times I saw him eat anything was a pub meal on Saturdays.
Wow, 5 decades ago, that memory surfaced as soon as the meal came out of the oven with the alfoil covering.
 

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Bretrick said:
Watching a program.
A parent - policewoman - comes home late and her son takes her dinner, (evening meal), with alfoil covering it, out of the oven and places it on the table.
The memory is, every day my grandmother would cook for the family, we children sat at the table and ate our dinner and my grandmother would place my father's dinner, with alfoil cover, into the oven for when he came home.
The oven got turned off when my grandmother went to bed.
Dad would arrive home when everyone was in bed, throw the meal in the bin.
I rarely saw him eat at home. The only times I saw him eat anything was a pub meal on Saturdays.
Wow, 5 decades ago that memory surfaced as soon as the meal came out of the over with the alfoil covering.
Click to expand...
That's interesting. I love it when I have all 3 grown sons in one place and listen to them reminiscing about childhood. How they saw things through the eyes of child not knowing the behind the scenes cause or reason. But still believe it as they understood it back then. Sometimes I have the heart to tell them the whole truth, other times I am like "eh, it's a good memory for them, let it alone"
 
IrishEyes said:
That's interesting. I love it when I have all 3 grown sons in one place and listen to them reminiscing about childhood. How they saw things through the eyes of child not knowing the behind the scenes cause or reason. But still believe it as they understood it back then. Sometimes I have the heart to tell them the whole truth, other times I am like "eh, it's a good memory for them, let it alone"
Click to expand...
Yeah, no real need to quash all their memories.
I think I am a little lucky because most of my childhood memories are nonexistent. Filed away, never to resurfaced, unless prompted.
 

Bretrick said:
Watching a program.
A parent - policewoman - comes home late and her son takes her dinner, (evening meal), with alfoil covering it, out of the oven and places it on the table.
The memory is, every day my grandmother would cook for the family, we children sat at the table and ate our dinner and my grandmother would place my father's dinner, with alfoil cover, into the oven for when he came home.
The oven got turned off when my grandmother went to bed.
Dad would arrive home when everyone was in bed, throw the meal in the bin.
I rarely saw him eat at home. The only times I saw him eat anything was a pub meal on Saturdays.
Wow, 5 decades ago that memory surfaced as soon as the meal came out of the over with the alfoil covering.
Click to expand...
I know this is not your own memory..Bret...but it's amazing what little spark recreates a long forgotten memory ....
 
I see this thread is not going where I expected, and I don't want to steer this conversation my way, but it did remind me of something I wanted to share about memory storage, at least the way I have experienced it at rare times.

During counseling, I recalled several memories, not reminiscences, but deeply buried, and totally off the mental grid so to speak. It's an odd experience when that happens and can take a week. At first, there is just a vague uneasiness that something is afoot. Although, I would never recognize what was happening, or that anything at all was happening until the memory resurfaced, and then I would understand what was going on during the lead up. I could understand how they were traumatic when I buried them, but there was never anything traumatic about the recall.

I don't think the memories need to be discussed. Just a note about the process of deep recall.
 
JustDave said:
I see this thread is not going where I expected, and I don't want to steer this conversation my way, but it did remind me of something I wanted to share about memory storage, at least the way I have experienced it at rare times.

During counseling, I recalled several memories, not reminiscences, but deeply buried, and totally off the mental grid so to speak. It's an odd experience when that happens and can take a week. At first, there is just a vague uneasiness that something is afoot. Although, I would never recognize what was happening, or that anything at all was happening until the memory resurfaced, and then I would understand what was going on during the lead up. I could understand how they were traumatic when I buried them, but there was never anything traumatic about the recall.

I don't think the memories need to be discussed. Just a note about the process of deep recall.
Click to expand...
I knw exactly what you're talking about. I've had similar experience a couple of times.. where the memory suddenly seems to be trying to get into the forefront,, yet it's still faded.. just a little flash glimpse of something very buried and forgotten.... and then a possible full glimpse.. maybe lasting maybe not... and the sudden realisation that you had completely buried that memory for whatever reason
 
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JustDave said:
I see this thread is not going where I expected, and I don't want to steer this conversation my way, but it did remind me of something I wanted to share about memory storage, at least the way I have experienced it at rare times.

During counseling, I recalled several memories, not reminiscences, but deeply buried, and totally off the mental grid so to speak. It's an odd experience when that happens and can take a week. At first, there is just a vague uneasiness that something is afoot. Although, I would never recognize what was happening, or that anything at all was happening until the memory resurfaced, and then I would understand what was going on during the lead up. I could understand how they were traumatic when I buried them, but there was never anything traumatic about the recall.

I don't think the memories need to be discussed. Just a note about the process of deep recall.
Click to expand...
I had some things I had repressed and for good reason. Then I was taking a Creative Writing class for college. I turned in my draft for the final writing assignment and the Professor said... you know this is good but it's bland, typical, can you re-think the subject from your gut and make it powerful. It was not intended and not planned I just let it roll out .. it all surfaced and I actually cried. So much was understood once I washed it out. He submitted it to some place for reference on the study of the topic.
 
hollydolly said:
I knwo excatl what you're talking about. I've had simialr experience a couple of times.. where the memory suddenly seems to be trying to get into the forefront,, yet it's still faded.. just a little flash glimpse of something very buried and forgotten.... and then a possible full glimpse.. maybe lasting maybe not... and the sudden realisation that you had completely buried that memory for whatever reason
Click to expand...
Yes, that's a very good description of the process.
 
I had an early childhood memory resurface recently, an embarrassing one, but funny now.

I was in the "potty" stage, mom was always in the bathroom. And for whatever reason I couldn't go outside (weather, maybe)
So I whizzed in the heat duct in the floor.
How convenient! LOL
I had a new place to "Go" haha!
Until a while later, when my parents started noticing an odor...
And then I got caught.
I had no idea what brought that memory back, but it was quite funny.
 
spookycat2 said:
I had an early childhood memory resurface recently, an embarrassing one, but funny now.

I was in the "potty" stage, mom was always in the bathroom. And for whatever reason I couldn't go outside (weather, maybe)
So I whizzed in the heat duct in the floor.
How convenient! LOL
I had a new place to "Go" haha!
Until a while later, when my parents started noticing an odor...
And then I got caught.
I had no idea what brought that memory back, but it was quite funny.
Click to expand...
Hey, it was a good idea at the time. What other possible reason could there be for a hole in the bathroom floor? It was probably just there to catch the overflow from when you missed the toilet bowl.
 
I'm the last one still alive from my birth family and I've inherited the entirety of the family's estate accumulated since our parents' marriage in 1944. I'm surrounded by artifacts reminding me of our past, the places we lived and the experiences we lived through. I have to avoid the lure of living in the past.........some of our family life was.....sub-optimal. A better way to heal from unpleasant past memories is to live in the present.
 

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