My first memory of HSAM

http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2014/01/20/north-texas-man-remembers-everyday-of-his-life/


I met this guy earlier in the week, Bill Brown, very interesting guy. He asked me my birthday (12/24) then proceeded to recall events of every Christmas since 1977. He knew the day of the week that Christmas fell on, the gifts he had received, and so on. He didn’t hesitate as he recited football scores and stats, weather conditions, deaths of family and celebrities, and vacations associated with that holiday.

Wow! Last week I struggled to remember what day of the week it was. Some days I can’t remember the month. I listened intently before saying, “I bet your wife hates to argue with you”. He laughed. Let’s face it. Most women have won more than one argument based not solely on the fact that we can recall the facts but we put a notch on the win belt because a man cannot remember. (I refer to this strategy as my strength is knowing your weakness.)

I had an interesting visit with Bill. He continued to talk about what most would consider trivial data. He shared some of the facts about the phenomenon and facts about the others who walked this same path.
I left with many things to consider. I contrasted this memory marvel and its opposite counterparts, Alzheimer’s and dementia. I attempted to create a road map where those conditions intersected.
As I drove south that afternoon I began to catalog the advantageous of being able to recall such information. Aside from winning many arguments, one would be able to recall the facts of birthday parties and pageants, and weddings that without the aid of others and polariods would be a hidden file in gray matter for generations. I considered the notes and journals that I have accumulated through the years that have helped me hold onto facts and dates, emotions.

Emotions? Oh, no. Would I remember in detail that day? You know the day you have been trying to forget since the moment it happened. The day you were bullied by a third grade boy; he called you fat or asked why you ate your boogers; the time as a child when you were touched inappropriately by the guy that would never hurt anyone; the trusted and respected neighbor. Would the gore of wrecked and mangled bodies be etched into the fore ground of your mind? Would you have no filter, no delete option, and no discard button? Would you remember in painful detail the time when the bad choices of your children tunneled a crater into your heart?

Suddenly, the tiara of being the great debater faded and I saw the limitations of my mind to be an answer to a prayer that I didn’t word; a blessing. A memory is a two sided coin, a blessing and a curse.

I guess if I learned one thing from my visit with Bill and the analytical thoughts it empowered it was this: Try to live in the present by in enjoying the good memories, learning from the bad. Determine each day to do something that will be a positive memory for everyone.
And in the words of one of my favorite memories, “I love you and don’t you forget it.”