Friday, April 16, 2010

Memory Lane Friday - Your First Memory

I guess there isn't a good way of really knowing for sure which memory is your first memory.  After all, memories get a little smudged up over time.  I'm a memory nerd.  It is absolutely one of my favorite topics when I teach my psychology classes.  For most people, their first memory comes from the age of 3.  And you are more likely to remember something that was emotional or traumatic for you.  Such is true for me.

My first memory is from the first time we lived in Roanoke.  We didn't live there for very long.  I was 3 years old and went for a walk to 7-11 with my mom and friends Susanna, Shannon, and their mom.  At 7-11, Susanna and I both got bouncy balls. 

I loved my bouncy ball.  This was in a time where toys were simpler.  And harder to come by.  I think they were more appreciated because kids didn't have houses completely loaded up with toys.  And so I was admiring my bouncy ball and walking back home when the unthinkable happened.
I dropped the bouncy ball.
Bouncy balls are fast!
Faster than a spider.
Faster than a race car.
Maybe faster than a speeding bullet.
My bouncy ball bounced and rolled and tumbled itself right under the world's densest bush.
And I cried.
Dig and shove and scramble as well as we could, the bouncy ball was nowhere to be found.
I was filled with despair.
And I cried as hard as only a 3 year old can.
A 3 year old feels loss exponentially.
Particularly when it involves a missing toy.
Trust me.  I deal with this on a daily basis with Pierce.
And each time, when frustration mounts in me, I try to remember how I felt when I lost the bouncy ball.
And try to find patience.
In the end, the despair was too great.
And my mom took me back to get a replacement bouncy ball.
Now that's love.

Want to participate in Memory Lane Friday?  Just blog about your first memory, and place my button on the blog by grabbing the code.

Then come back and add your post to Mister Linky:


Check back later to see what others have written about their first memories!
And be sure to come back next Friday.  The topic is 'A Family Heirloom'.

5 comments:

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

That's a hard thing for a 3-year-old to lose! I'm glad you remember your mom getting you a replacement! Even if she hadn't, I'm sure you would've recovered. But you know how 3-year-olds are - it's the end of the world when something like that happens!

Andrea said...

I LOVE it! We have a few of those bouncy balls here, too. Great post. I felt like I was in the little child version of you -- inside your mind/head!

Mary said...

I'm sorry Lisa but I am having a hard time with this one. I am trying to write out a post and it just isn't working. I keep thinking I am remembering something but I'm not. I may have to pass on this week. I enjoyed your memory though! :)

Shannon said...

I'm impressed with the clarity of this memory! I don't remember anything that early at all.

Hayley said...

My first memory is from that magical age, too...

I got mauled by a dog. Yeah. (In reality, our neighbor's overly friendly lab jumped up on me, knocked me down, and proceeded to lick the crap out of me. But to a 3-year-old, it was a mauling.)