The unreliability of memory

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I’m constantly shocked at how poor my memory and observational skills are. For example if you ask me whether someone I know wears spectacles, or if someone who occasionally wears them happened to be wearing them last time I saw them, the chances are that I won’t even have noticed. Yesterday as we were getting home and I was drying off a wet Pup by the door, Big One noticed a woman loitering on the pavement outside. She stood there for a while looking around, then eventually approached and explained she was looking for a care home but had walked up and down the road and couldn’t find it. There are two care homes in the village, both on the main road. One we pass every day on the way to and from school. I couldn’t even remember which was which but luckily Big One was able to confirm that the one nearer school was the one she wanted. Then I tried to describe it. That was tricky as the only thing I could remember about it is that it is white, it has a walnut tree by the gate and daffodils growing on the verge outside (yes plants provide my main way of seeing and remembering the world!) However I couldn’t even remember whether it had a hedge or a wall outside (I thought it had a wall but this morning I found I was wrong), couldn’t remember anything else nearby and had no idea what number it was. And this is a place I must have passed hundreds of times! Eventually I managed to remember that it was quite near the second bus stop, so I hope that helped her find it. It certainly makes you think how unreliable eye-witnesses must be, although I think additional stress or trauma at the time of seeing something does help imprint it on your memory. All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2016.