Dual layers of memory reminders

I often share Facebook “Memories” on my personal Facebook page, and sometimes I talk about them here on this blog. Lately, I’ve noticed how many of those “Memories” are about things I never shared here. Today I again shared a “Memory” and photo that I never shared here, however, I did publish a blog post that added backstory to the Facebook “Memory”. It turns out that sometimes I have dual layers of sources about things I’ve talked about somewhere, and that’s something I never really thought about until today.

I shared the photo at right to Facebook on March 29, 2016, but not here. At the time, I merely said, “Taking my mother-in-law to lunch”, which was as basic as it gets—and was probably so brief because I was using my phone and didn’t want to keep using it rather than talking with my mother-in-law. When I shared the “Memory” today, I said:

A throwback to the Before Times! Nigel and I ate there many times with family or just us two. I also took my mother-in-law there several times when she was visiting us when we lived on Auckland’s North Shore (usually while Nigel was at work). She was probably visiting us for the Easter holiday weekend (we went to Coo on the following Tuesday; Easter was on the 27th in 2016). The optometrist also in view is where I got my eye exam for my driver license renewal in 2014, as I mentioned recently. Around 11 months after that lunch, Nigel and I shifted to Clarks Beach in southern Auckland. [the link was not in my Facebook post]

I was mostly right—the dates were all correct, for example—but what I didn’t know until a few minutes ago, when I checked this blog, is that she came to stay with us on Easter Sunday. I know that because I mentioned her visit in a blog a post on Easter Sunday that year, two days before the visit to the Japanese restaurant. I said in that Easter Sunday post:

We had some chores to attend to, like getting the house clean and tidy. My mother-in-law was due to arrive this evening for a visit, and cleaning the house just before one’s mother-in-law arrives is part of the world’s universal laws. I’m sure it’s in the UN Charter somewhere.

As amusing as that was (to me…), it also turns out that we had a blocked drain that day—which was a public holiday with a trading ban in place. We improvised clearing it using a garden hose “to push the block along”, and I added, “my Nigel is very clever.” Because he was.

I don’t remember what the specifics were, like which drain was blocked, but I think it may have been the kitchen sink, because it was sometimes a problem at that time. This underscores that it’s impossible for me to remember every detail about everything that’s happened over the years, despite having both my social media posts and this blog (and even my podcast) to help. However, since I do have those things, I think my chances of remembering things from my past are arguably better than someone without either one. I know that if I still kept a daily journal, too, my odds would be even better—but that seems very unlikely to happen.

I’m glad, and very fortunate, to have the means to remember at least some of the finer details from my life. Because I tended to document good times and happy memories almost exclusively, when memories (or “Memories”…) pop up, they’re usually about something that I actually want to know more about, and I think I’m very lucky to be able to do that.

It turns out that posting stuff on social media or to this blog can be a positive and useful thing! Honestly, though, I not surprised. For me, having dual layers of memory reminders is definitely a good thing.