Inquisitive Report 27/52

Week Ending August 3rd, 2018

Content Covered: A Shift in Perspective

I’ve always been fond of the magic in memories and their ability to take you through time.

As I prepare for what comes next, I’ve been spending some time in the places that mean the most to me, and with the people that mean the most to me; allowing myself to truly take in the gravity of experiences that have come to pass.

I suppose, in some way this is me paying tribute to the experiences that I have gone through, acknowledging who I have become through them, and allowing myself to truly accept that things aren’t going to be the same after this.

It isn’t that the people will change, or California will change, or that this won’t be my home anymore – no, rather I will change.

As I embark on consciously taking in my surroundings, I am reminded of the beauty of attention.

See attentiveness only deepens what it regards, so it follows: where we focus our time and attention, it is those memories and thoughts that we enhance. Utilizing this awareness, I have constructed what I call my memory hack.

By deliberately allowing myself to stay present to this moment, and reminisce about what this place means through me – through positive emotions like joy, happiness, and belonging, in essence I create a stronger association between memory and emotion. Thus, when I am missing home, say a few months from now, I will have a truly rich memory to access.

I can recall the first time I employed this little hack – it was during study abroad. During the last few days in UK, I made it a point to engage with all my senses, painting the canvas of my memories with rich color and detail – so that on some distant day when my heart yearned to be in that space once again—- I could, to the best of my neurology – I could.

And it’s worked marvelously. Perhaps that is what I wish to do here, in California, this last month before I embark on the next chapter, stay present and truly feel what home has been for me.

For another, not quite related read, check out this article: Light