Do you remember where you were when... Do you remember?
Posted on July 28, 2017 • 3 min read • 490 words
Important events… ‘Do you remember where you were when…’ For example, most people still remember what they did on September 11, 2001 or where they were. That day will be etched in your memory. There are other events: the birth of your child, or the death of a loved one.
At least I know where I was on September 11, 2001. I was sitting in my attic room behind the computer. I was surfing the internet aimlessly when the phone rang.
“World War III has begun!”
That was the voice of a good friend. I didn’t really know if she was joking or if she was serious. You should know that she spent years in the army. Whenever she made a comment like that, you could be sure something was up.
I must admit that I was quite shocked by her words. My heart immediately skipped a few times. With shaking knees I walked down the two flights of stairs to the room to turn on the TV.
The images I saw then are indescribable. A world-class skyscraper, just crashed. The second tower of the World Trade Center in New York was still standing at that time. As I absorbed the images, I saw in horror a plane flying into the second tower. Unbelievable.
Positive memories
Fortunately, I also have positive memories, where I remember exactly where I was. The date on which I asked Tineke to marry me. That was on February 12, 2011 in Drachten, at Dansida dance school. It was Valentine’s Day ball and I was going to get down on one knee. I did that too, you know. It was a moment never to be forgotten. Those nerves that screamed through the throat, but also the warmth of the entire dance floor, when everyone started singing and dancing to us.
Memory and memories are subject to emotion and location. As soon as you experience an emotion, you will generally also have memories associated with that emotion. The same applies to a location. If you had a strong emotion or memory at a certain place, there is a good chance that this memory will surface again when you visit the place again.
Some people suffer more from this than others. It’s very easy to get caught up in that emotion. If a certain song or location makes you sad, it often brings back sad memories. This makes you sadder and then brings back even more sad memories.
Sometimes you can counteract this phenomenon. When you feel sad, put on music that reminds you of happy things. This will make you remember even more happy things and make you cheerful. I’m not saying this always works, or that this applies to everyone, but you can try it. Can’t you do this yourself? Then talk about it with someone else. Who knows, he/she might help you break this vicious circle by putting on music that makes you happy.
