So, last two weeks, I made a post on the price I paid to fear, I hope you enjoyed it. I was having a relaxed night and playing some mind games for my personal goals. I just finished playing level 3470 of my candy crush game and was sliding in to answer some of my mails when I noticed an Instagram comment’s notification that caught my attention:
“Hi Ify. I couldn’t get through to you via DM. So hopefully you see this soon and send me a DM”.
I quickly got defensive, cos you don’t really know when cyber-criminals and their pals decide to play on your page. But after a few background investigations, we got talking via DM and I realized she was an old friend from way back nursery school.
Unlike this my old friend who’s abundantly blessed with the gift of easy remembrance, I have a problem with recalling faces and/or names. She remembered me with ease and while we were chatting, she said something that struck me:
“So, aside from the fact that I do tend to remember people’s full name, … I wasn’t so extroverted, so I only had a few friends, including people who left some kind of impression on me …”
Okay, that got me thinking. While I was pondering over that statement I remembered a similar situation that happened on my last two birthdays in a class’ Whatsapp group. I and my secondary schoolmates were recalling memories of our school days, our adventures, mischief, achievements, folly, etc. Along the line, one of us named ‘Lily’ made a striking remark while wishing me a happy day:
“Stella, my SS1 buddy that saved me in our SS1 class, especially in Mathematics and science subjects …”
Now, it was already up to 12-13 years, and to me, it meant nothing. But to Lily, it left an unforgettable mark in her memory. She was a new student in our school then and was struggling with catching up with our curriculum. I helped her and forgot entirely, but she remembered.
After confirming that these memories are effortlessly indelible; I started examining my thoughts for my own memories. I remembered my friends that made me feel like a hero, the peers that made me feel depressed, the teachers that bullied me, those that nurtured me like their child, classmates that blackmailed me, and those that gave their all for me. And after all these, I also say it is true, people do not forget the way you made them feel.
Keep spreading love.
Yours truly,
Dr. STM
