Memorable

Bookmarking in the brain

I think a lot about memory; what we remember and why. It kills me when I hear of people losing their memories, maybe because I spend so much time living in mine. When my children were young I read that repetition was important to memory so I tried to repeat experiences, like visiting Lake Tahoe, to embed them in their brains. I have no idea if this worked.

This article that I stumbled upon in the New Yorker about author Lisa Genova’s book Remember, the science of memory and the art of forgetting (which is now on my list to read in 2026) was a bit jarring. I like to think we remember many things in our life, but it appears that most people can, “list no more than ten events for any given year of life.” Ten events in a year is about what we get!

In light of this somewhat sobering news, I decided to think back to the top 10 memorable moments for me in 2025, which of course is a pleasure-filled way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Thank you for indulging me - I would love to hear yours.

1. Picking the sublime Duchesse de Nemours peonies that bloomed in early May just in time for Mother’s Day.

2. A commitment to a new and exciting creative project and taping my ideas up on my office fireplace while I had the house to myself for 4 whole days.

3. Driving to downtown Los Angeles and seeing the Original Flower Market. I hope to never forget the wallpaper in this hotel bathroom.

4. Eating the best tacos and dessert tamales in Santa Barbara with my daughter.

5. Making full moon flower mandalas on the patio. Likely, this is repetition at work.

6. Watching my son become a lineman and see him drive off to live in Wyoming. This memory is the true definition of bittersweet. Although it doesn’t feel like it at the time, we can survive an astonishing amount of heartbreak in our lives.

7. Catching the sunset on a beautiful, empty beach in a fancy neighborhood in Montecito. It boggles my mind that people actually get to live here. NBD.

8. Embarking on a dream writing assignment and spending the day in the rice fields at Lundberg Family Farms in Richvale, California.

9. Picking and admiring the Distant Drums roses that bloomed in early summer and finally understanding why people love roses.

10. Walking around the quiet and alive Cosumnes River Preserve (a magical wetland off I-5) on a grey winter day.

This past year has been hard, interesting, dark and beautiful. It’s that time of year where I don’t know what day it is and we are ordering take-out and watching shows. I am trying to simply be in it. We’ve made enough memories for the year.

Just be in 2025 for a few more days I think, and then we can head down the road.

I wonder what 10 memories will be made then?