The Art of Remembering
December 3rd, 2025
Photo: Flynn Bridget
Writer: Claudia Hurst
Editor: Anne Marie Martinez
I pride myself on having a great memory. I don’t claim to possess Sherlock Holmes’ ability to memorize clues or Mike Ross’ photographic recall of case law, but my memory has served me well in the way I remember people and moments. I see past conversations in my head as if they are scenes projected on a big screen. If a conversation is meaningful to me, I keep a snapshot of it stored in my brain forever.
This special talent has served me well. My quick recall of random observations or overlooked details is what makes me a good storyteller, a personable conversationalist, and the foundation of my witty sense of humor. I believe it also makes me a better friend, sister, and daughter. As I listen, I am constantly filing away details about the important developments in someone’s life, along with the seemingly insignificant interactions mentioned, to follow up on in the future. While we are all constantly pursuing our own adventures, my memory is my attempt to remain engaged in the independent journeys of those that I love.
The flipside of remembering is that I also find it difficult to forget. Painful and uncomfortable memories stain my perception of people and places, even when the situation no longer holds power over my life. I have always regarded this as a burden, an unnecessary weight I’ve wished to relinquish. Often, I will force myself to release harmful memories to make more room for the good.
This practice is known as the “Art of Forgetting”. On the surface, this concept provides a tactic to let go of the past, providing the gift of a clean slate. However, this inclination to replace the hurt to make room for more good presents a skewed perspective of the full archives of our lives. Human experience is not supposed to be viewed as an endless highlight reel.
Memories, in all of their various forms, are the bedrock of our composition as people. While we would prefer to focus on all of the happiness we have been lucky enough to experience, discomfort is an integral part of our evolution. Messing up, saying the wrong thing, and regretting our choices molds us into better versions of ourselves. If we erase the bad, we never learn, we never grow, and we lose the ability to measure how far we have come. As Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting says, "You'll have bad times, but it'll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren't paying attention to."
I’m learning to appreciate that beauty is in remembering– in the form of small details about those that I love and the entire spectrum of experiences that have shaped who I am today. There is so much to reflect on in our connections to the past, but the true art is valuing the weight we place on the present moment. For someone who spends a lot of time inside her own head, time-traveling to the past, the future, or imagining roads not traveled (yet), I am grounded by the reminder to find my feet.
Your feet are exactly where you are supposed to be right now.
