Hey there! My name is Laura Lambert. I’m enjoying life as a voice actor and a writer.
Have you ever found yourself chatting with friends only to think, “Hey, wait a minute! I remember the event you’re talking about. I was there! But my recollection is a LOT different from yours.”
The Funny Thing About Memory
Memory is a funny thing. The number of details can be determined by the significance of a situation, or by the artistic license taken by the person recalling the event.
For instance, I remember where I was when I was told that I lost my job… and if you’ve been through that experience, I’d lay odds that you do, too.
After the anxiety subsided, it occurred to me that this was exactly the kick out of my comfort zone that I desperately needed. Now, I loved my job. My memory is so clear precisely because of the significance it held. But the freedom of shedding my “employee mindset,” of taking responsibility for the directions I choose to take… wow, that is so powerful!
End of story, you might think? Well, that would be more than just a little boring. It would be downright unremarkable!
Discovering Your Superpower
The remarkable point that I’d like you to take away from this story is that we all have a “superpower” to get us through those challenging times. You may not even recognize that it’s there. But I assure you, it is.
Perhaps, like me, you’ve come to see the enormous value in creating the time to devote to meditation, visualization, and exercise. I love them all… and together, they bring such balance to my life. But no. I think my superpower has something to do with… humor.
As the youngest of three kids, humor has always been a positive in my life. It was my entertainment, an outlet for my youthful creative energy.
What I Remember Versus What Others Do
I recently had the pleasure of spending time with someone I hadn’t seen in forty years. We were friends in high school. But as happens in life, we followed our own paths. It was so cool to reconnect! But the more we talked, the more I began to wonder what I was really like back then.
She frequently used variations of the word ‘humor’ to describe me. Now, having an enquiring mind, I had to check this out. So, as soon as I got home, I opened my bedroom closet and looked up to the tallest shelf. There it was —a photo album from the late 1970s.
I pulled it down, blew off the dust, and proceeded to the back, where I kept the Senior pictures we all swapped before graduation. “Loved laughing with you in 6th hour”, “Your humor got me through Ms. Bunsen’s English Lit!” and “…I don’t know what I’d do without you and your jokes”.
Hmmm. I honestly don’t remember being so amusing back then. But, I guess it makes sense.
Time to Reflect and Celebrate
Life can sure get busy, can’t it? Making this an especially important time to take a moment to reflect and remember that ‘superpower’ that’s always been a part of you.
Maybe you’re a problem solver, perhaps your calm demeanor puts people at ease, or maybe, like me, your sense of humor uplifts others and keeps you from taking yourself so seriously.
Whatever it is, I think it’s worth discovering and celebrating! Here’s to our memories, as inaccurate as they may be… and to that ‘superpower’ that lives in us all.