giving life to dreams

  Yesterday I was writing about what we remember, and how we remember it. I was asked for an explanation and my best response was, " that's my story and I'm sticking to it. " That is a line from a song performed by Collin Raye. In the song he was making excuses to his wife. We have all been guilty of doing that and when caught in the web, just stick to the lie. There isn't much else you can do at times. We are very much aware of the truth, yet choose to tell a different version. That isn't exactly what I meant by my posting, but it is the general idea. The lie isn't intended to cause harm, in fact its' purpose is to ease the pain. Yes, it is our pain that we are trying to assuage. Self preservation is a strong instinct in man.
 As the day went on and I considered what I had written further, I arrived at this conclusion. There are times when our memories give life to our dreams. I'm thinking that is why my memory of an event can be so different from yours. I have rewritten the script. I get to choose what I remember and how I wish to remember it. I am giving life to a past dream. It isn't intended to hurt anyone, its' intent is therapeutic. Holding onto good memories, even if they are a dream, makes aging more tolerable.
We all live with an awareness of our mortality. We do so even when we are young. Yes, many of us think we are invincible when we are teenagers and young adults, but the older we get the more we become aware of the truth. The future becomes more uncertain and so we must rely upon the past. Might as well make that past as pleasant as possible. That's my thinking anyway. I give life to my dreams. I remember things the way I wish they had gone, as I said yesterday, I remember my intentions. If your intentions were good, the memories will be as well. There are times when we must excuse ourselves, and so a little tweak to the story is necessary. It is that tweak the others may notice and call you out on. That is when I stick to the story ! That's what I remember. Self preservation and forgiveness come to the forefront.
 Our memories give life to our dreams. Dreams can be pleasant or unpleasant. So too, our memories. It is all in what we choose to remember. Remember the bad, and that is what you will live. Remember the good, and that is what you will live. We do more living in the past than we do in the present.That realization is a product of aging. For that reason I say store up the good memories, the good dreams to enjoy in the present, try to stay in comfortable places. You know what is comfortable ? The places we have already been. Throw a new coat of paint on them, enjoy them all over again.