So here's my theory: The brain has no new memories without a link. For fun, (I know I'm a complete nerd) I tried to sit down and think of something I hadn't remembered since the moment it happened. Try it. If you've thought about it since the time it happened it doesn't count. Can you come up with a completely new memory...cold?It love new memories. Especially ones from a really long time ago. It's like discovering a hidden time capsule. All it takes is a link: a smell, a feeling, or a single word. And in a breath of fresh air, you've traveled back in time.
Facebook is a great place for finding lost memories. Out of the blue, an old friend might call and all the memories that go along with that person flood back. Or someone posts a great picture from so long ago you don't even remember taking the picture, or you remember every detail about taking the picture.
Luckily, I can just call Tiffany. My "permalink", she always jogs my memory. She'll say something like "remember at Youth Conference (Theme: Be Inmate at Utah State...seriously, who made that up?) when we went out with ____ and got back late and got in trouble because nobody knew where we were?..." and then I say something like "remember the black-sequined red sweatshirts we wore for our 'Uptown Girl' dance recital?"
Unfortunately, I only remember her memories about half of the time. I think her memory is on steroids while mine's had a generous dose of Novocaine. I wonder if those memories are lost or just inaccessible.
