Shake, shake, shake…

My wife shakes her head so much when I tell stories that I often wonder if she was actually in attendance with me when these stories took place.   Perhaps it’s perspective, perhaps it’s my faulty memory, or perhaps it’s a little of both.   I do know for a fact that the older I get, the more set-in-stone my memories become.

I have always enjoyed Merle Haggard’s hit song My Favorite Memory in which he describes meeting his wife.  The first lines of the song are:

The first time we met

Is a favorite memory of mine,

They say time changes all it pertains to…

But your memory is stronger than time.

Seeing those words, reminded me of a story about a story. I was once asked to give an introduction for Pam when she was being inducted as a lifetime member of the PTA. The room was crowded with her committee members, friends, and family. As part of the introduction, I included my thorough recollection of how we first met. The description was very detailed; the exact location in our high school building, how my best friend introduced us, and significantly to me…the sparkle in her eyes. I was relatively proud of my story-telling skills, but as I was delivering my remarks, I glanced up to see her shaking her head as I described that first encounter.

The introduction was a success.  The lifetime award was gratefully received.  Then, in the ultimate test of my maturity, I held off asking about the issue of our introduction until the following day.  “The encounter you described may well have happened,” Pam said, “but I can assure you that it certainly wasn’t the first time we met.”

I inquired about my error.  Her description was relatively bland, involved precious few details, and sadly, was completely sparkle-free.  Further, my recollection described an event forty-six years ago and hers indicated an encounter more like forty-eight years ago.   Ultimately, I guess it really does not matter too much, because after forty something years it is still a favorite memory of mine.

After all these years have passed, I am no longer able to hear My Favorite Memory, but I can fire up my mental jukebox and replay the second stanza of Merle’s classic:

I guess, everything does change

Except what you choose to recall,

There’s a million good daydreams to dream on

But lady, you are my favorite memory of all.

So, shake your head if you must, but today, I am choosing to recall the sparkles…

Happy 39th Anniversary!  I love you,

KBM

Thanks for listening!

Your friend,

Kevin Medlin
kevin@myslientpew.com