I started this Mastering Memphis series shortly after graduating from seminary. I wanted to chronicle everything or everyone I had experienced since moving here in the fall of 2004 (War Eagle and Go Sox). Jesse told me it was kind of boring. I can't disagree with her. Other than tales regarding my former roommates, there wasn't a lot that seemed arresting and I'm not sure it was written very well. All in all, it was a fairly insignificant collection of memories.
Memories can be elusive. In his essay, "My Father's Brain," Jonathan Franzen notes how the brain functions as a memory keeper through the process of myelinization. Myelin is a fatty substance that strengthens certain neural connections in the brain, which allows certain neurological memory functions to solidify in developing brains. The least myelinized parts of the brain are those that have the most to do with the process of transitioning short-term memories into long-term ones. This might be most evident in the digression of mental capcities in Alzheimer's sufferers, but perhaps, in more mundane ways, might explain why your grandparents told you the same stories repeatedly. Those were the experiences they remembered best and longest after others had faded obscurity.
Memories can be elusive. In his essay, "My Father's Brain," Jonathan Franzen notes how the brain functions as a memory keeper through the process of myelinization. Myelin is a fatty substance that strengthens certain neural connections in the brain, which allows certain neurological memory functions to solidify in developing brains. The least myelinized parts of the brain are those that have the most to do with the process of transitioning short-term memories into long-term ones. This might be most evident in the digression of mental capcities in Alzheimer's sufferers, but perhaps, in more mundane ways, might explain why your grandparents told you the same stories repeatedly. Those were the experiences they remembered best and longest after others had faded obscurity.
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