I have missed taking part in the challenges – I think I have missed 2 Friday’s as I have been offline for 10 days. I am so happy to be back in the mix & so many more bloggers have found Kellie Elmore’s beautiful blog and the FWF Challenge in the past fortnight.
Click the button to find out more.
Here’s this week’s fantastic prompt;
Today you have been granted the opportunity to go anywhere, do anything, meet anyone, travel in time…whatever you wish, it is yours. Now, there’s a catch. (Isn’t there always?) When you wake up tomorrow… you will not remember any of it.
Although I surround myself with things I have never been a materialist. The things I have are not priceless family heirlooms, rather things members of the family no longer want or need which they offer to me, the magpie, to save a trip to a charity shop or perhaps so they get to see their things without having them in their own home.
The things I have kept from my own life spill out of the memory box into every part of my living space. I will never forget a friend of mine’s son asking if it was a pastie I had on my bookshelf… they were filled with books and randomly packed with life’s little treasures – but even a mad hoarder of memories like me keeps food in the fridge. It was a brown paper bag filled with Easter decorations, it was September.
As I packed my life into boxes to move house for the 16th time and hopefully the last time, I did a mental audit of realisation and I realised how much of my past I have held onto, to fill that hole that was created somewhere along the way.
How many of you have pencils that you wrote with as an 8 year old? Books you had as a child, notebooks that you have saved using pages from so you have the excuse of keeping them for the next few decades? Nothing is valuable, nothing needs to be saved. Nothing has any worth not even to me, unless I was to lose my memory and then perhaps the parchments would bring a spark of something back to me.
I am not a materialist. I spend on experience, on running away and travelling – I have stopped running – in my twenties I realised when I ran, I was still there and if it was part of me I was running from I really should stop and deal with it because like a shadow on the inside, it would always be there otherwise. Attached to me until I did something about it. But the wanderlust is sown deeper than the internal shadow and no matter how many times I hide my passport, I find it again. I choose to spend my money seeing things I wasn’t born next door to, rather than brands to wear on my back or fancy cars to drive. I live within my means so that I can create the most majestic memories, parts of my life. Experiences. And then I share them with others.
So I have the chance to meet anyone, go anywhere, experience anytime… like the rest of the world reading that I had lots of places I could choose and ideas didn’t take long to come to mind. And then I re- read the rest of the prompt – I wouldn’t remember it.
At first I decided that I wouldn’t take the wish – what would be the point if I couldn’t remember it?
Then I knew what to do. There are plenty of things I wish to do that I think would scare the life out of me – those things I am in two minds about. What a perfect opportunity to experience those and not have the memory of the fear or pain.
As for those list of things, I don’t remember doing, funny… now I can’t recall what was so important to me. I have no idea what it is I did.*
* How do you feel?
That’s the true treasure of life – memories and sharing them in the present.
awritersfountain 
You sound so much like myself. Moving, running away, wow. Been there done that. I think as we get older we long for stability though. At least that’s what happened to me. I don’t think myself to be old, but my mindset is much different than it used to be. Now, I can’t imagine going anywhere. Of course, this all comes back to the other things you said.
I am surrounded by memories, as I now live in the house I grew up in. Inherited from my grandma. The walls echo my youth and to sell and move away would be like selling my memories.
I didn’t write for my own prompt this week. Because I couldn’t. Because I have to have the memories. It’s all that’s left when everything else withers, rots, fades away from us.
Thank you for your reply.
So happy to have you back! xox
Thanks Kellie it is great to be back! I agree with you the memories are life – we do change and evolve as we grow older – I love the idea that you live in a place set in your own memories. My mum sold our family home when we all moved out and each of the older generation have downsized so none of the property is the original bricks and mortar.
The house we just bought was in one family for a very long time – there are 4 grown up children – all older than me – and they were sad to see it sold as they had grown up here. We see ourselves here now – to grow into the future of the house and our future together that helped cushion their loss of the bricks and mortar a little.
I have yet to write for this week and I am not sure if I can. Memories sustain us. They hold us together. They shape who we are -whether they are good or bad. I have been told that I have an amazing memory (I remember obscure details from the past). I have a dear cousin who was just diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s- she is my age(52) and I cannot help but think that her life has been cut short. She eventually won’t remember who she is.
Thanks for sharing. I have enjoyed your recent posts about your move! It is all good!
I remember a lot of detail from my past – often my memories are pictorial, glad you enjoyed the read.
I have had relatives suffer with Alzheimers it is horrible disease and difficult to watch the person you know slip away piece by piece. Have random conversations and moments of clarity but always be called by a different name. On the flip side – I got to see parts of personality that without the disease I wouldn’t. My Great Uncle had a great boyish sense of humour – but was always stern and officious – when he became ill – I got to see the real him – the adult other adults knew – he just communicated with children in a different, distant way.
It is sad that your cousin is so young, I wish you all strength and hope you get to hold onto the days when you visit and see parts of the person again.
As for the moving posts – glad you liked them – it was Mr G’s idea, I thought people signing up to a writing blog might not like the authentic voice of a madly stressed person moving – fun that I have 24/7 access again now though and can add images to posts. Thanks for following us on the journey to our new home!
Nice reaction to the prompt.
Thanks Heidi.
Loved it! Experiences over things, that’s what we are trying to teach our daughter (and ourselves.) 🙂
Thanks Mark – well get her to read the post – warn her that if she loves things she might end up with a hoard of worthless treasure in years to come. And best of all share and show her wonderful experiences she will learn what they can do, life changing – life enhancing – living giving.
Good luck with teaching.
Thanks!
Wonderful response! Can’t imagine life totally without memories. Given the chance for a special moment…yes…but not at the cost of all memory! Liked your spin on not having the memory of the fear or pain.
Thanks – that spin came to me as I wrote the ending – I was of the school of thought that without the memory of it I wouldn’t bother. Then I thought it would be a great way to try all those over the limit fear type things that part of me longs to do – and the other part of me stops me from doing! 😉
Nice! “I am not a materialist. I spend on experience,” I really enjoyed this, thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks – I wasn’t sure what to write at first but then – as with all free writes it just came!
That’s the beauty of it!
I know 😉 love free writing and the places it takes us to!
I relate to this, immensely. I started repacking my life about 2 years ago and never stopped, it feels. All part of the journey, things we leave behind, things we keep. All with us. Always.
I get that too – I have literally lost ‘things’ along the way, left belongings in cupboards and attics. It is all part of the journey – but you know I am so glad that I have finally settled in a place I can get my life and things sorted! (Despite not being a materialist – it will save me time knowing where things are!)