Memories are the currency of our lives.
Those special moments where the brain saw fit to record something forever are the building blocks that make up our remembered past.
For many of us, the brain’s parsimonious nature seems to record time with less fidelity as we age. What happened in 2004? 2006? Do we remember a hundred things? A thousand? Ten?
We can count on our brains to record those things that are critical to our survival – the exciting, the new, the dangerous, the touching, etc. As children, almost everything falls into one of those categories – those endless summers where a single day’s adventure lasts forever.
But, as we age, experiences often migrate from the new to the familiar and eventually, end up as routine. And “the routine” has a slim chance to be remembered, except in the aggregate. Thus, when we look back over those days, we often can’t remember much…time seems to have flown by.
All is not lost! We have the opportunity to bring back that “child’s mind” of discovery, growth, novelty and lush memories. Unlocking this secret is incredibly straightforward: change things up. Try something new every day. Vary your routine. Or, even better, go on an adventure!
A decade ago, I ran into a friend who had just returned from biking through Vietnam. He went on and on about all the things he saw and did every day. I couldn’t believe his stories. It was as if each day was as eventful as a month back home. That’s when I had the epiphany: I could slow down my life by traveling more. And, I’m here to tell you that it works.
In 2008, I left my full-time job in technology to become a photographer. And I’ve been on the road ever since…traveling about half the year, taking pictures and creating memories.
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
– T.S. Eliot