Memory

Just how important is memory in the total scheme of things? Some might say it's very important; others say it's a blessing not to have a good memory. I believe my memory is quite poor, but perhaps I exaggerate. It seems like I just knew so many other people who had better memories in comparison to me in life's experience that it made me feel inept sometimes. In fact, quite early on in my college education I decided not to pursue a degree in chemistry because others seemed to have a better memory than me and therefore had to devote less time and effort to studying and still aced the tests.

I'm not sure abandoning chemistry as an occupation was such a bad deal. I ended up, through happenstance, doing a job I really enjoyed. I couldn't have stumbled into something more conducive to my nature than I did. And the job didn't particularly require much of a long-term memory. What I didn't know, I quickly learned I could look up and research. Part of the job involved analysis and creativity.

Memory is always helpful. When I'm writing creatively, like working on a novel for instance, it is helpful to remember what has happened many pages ago, to remember your characters, the nature of a scene, or the characteristics of your antagonist.