by Liane Moriarty. I know, I'm a little late to the game as this book was published in 2009, but that's what happens when reading for fun gets "shelved" for other things.Anyway, in this best-selling book, Alice is a 39-year old mother of three who finds herself with memory loss after falling off her bike in spin class and hitting her head. She thinks she is still 29, madly in love with her husband, and pregnant with her first child. She slowly begins to piece the past ten years back together, only to discover that her life hasn't exactly turned out the way she thought it would.
I have always romanticized the notion of getting amnesia. I imagine being the damsel in distress, slowly piecing the fragments of my memory back together like a puzzle or a mystery. Though, reading this book makes me think about the past ten years of my own life and how much has happened. Sometimes ten years can seem like nothing - events that happened a decade ago can be recalled as easily as if they happened last week.
But sometimes, you catch yourself thinking, Wow, that happened that long ago??
For me, it feels like the bulk of my life has been lived in the past ten years, and I definitely would not want to have missed it by not remembering the events as I lived them. Here are ten events I wouldn't want to forget:
1. Childbirth and my children. Ten years ago, I had two newborn babies. Two babies who, though they were born in December, didn't come home until this week. I wouldn't know their personalities, how easily I fell into motherhood, and how much I loved it. I'd be surprised to learn I had more babies - lots more babies - despite having undergone fertility treatments for the twins. I'd know nothing about my other pregnancies, breast feeding, or Slim's surgeries to repair his cleft lip and palate. I think I would also have to grieve the fact that I have no little girls. I accepted it each time the doctor announced, "It's a boy!" But I always saw myself being the mom of girls.
2. Our two-year stint living on Long Island. Although I was reluctant to move initially, those two years were some of the best of our lives. We were doing it on our own. I'll never forget the feeling of confidence I had every time someone came to visit us and I took them to all the tourist hotspots just like I was a regular city dweller. If I didn't remember living there, New York City would still be a big, scary, mysterious place to me. Now I think I could go back and fall into step like I never left.
Us in Central Park, Hubby with hair, me PG with our third
3. Our current home. I always saw us living in our little brick home for a long while, filling the tree-lined backyard with lots of kids. I think I'd be amazed to learn that we are actually living in Hubby's sister's old home and that we're about ready to move. I would have missed all the renovations of our current home, the plans for our future home, and all of the memories we have made here along the way.
4. Our travels. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii. We went last year at this time. All I would have would be pictures rather than the memory of flying over the island in a helicopter (I wouldn't believe I had done that!). I would have missed Florida, California, all of our memories of our vacation condo on the lake, and all the times I've explored a city alone while Hubby was at a business conference.
5. How much our extended family has grown. In addition to our own children, between the two of us, Hubby and I have about 30 nieces and nephews. Most of them are teenage and older, and it's been so fun to watch them grow and mature, marry people, develop serious relationships and careers, and have babies of their own. I'd never be able to catch up on everything that's gone on with all of them if I forgot it all. Hubby and I also each have sisters who've been divorced and remarried, too. I'd have to get to know the new spouses and all the new kids our siblings have added.
6. Facebook, social media, e-mail, and texting. While there was e-mail ten years ago, it wasn't as easy as it is now to check, send, and receive. And the boom of social media has been incredible. I think it would be pretty difficult for me to wrap my head around all the people I hear from on a regular basis now that I have Facebook.
7. My friends. 90% of the people I interact with now are people I have met in the past ten years. I'd have to get to know them again, learn where and how we met and under what circumstances. And all the people who live in my computer (ie: my blogger friends)? There would be no one who could explain them to me but me. Plus, my two best college friends I thought were long lost to me are in my life once again. That would definitely be a pleasant surprise I'd want to remember.
8. My blog and writing. Though I've always wanted to be a writer, having a blog wasn't even on my radar 10 years ago. I'd miss knowing the process I went through to start it, choosing the name, and the other sites I've written for along the way. In addition, I've been published in a book and write for a print magazine - two things that were just dreams a decade ago.
9. Physical changes. How in the hell would I explain to myself all the weight I've gained in the past ten years?? My mom has gone all gray (she looks great!), Hubby has gone almost all bald (no comment), and there is a huge expressway that runs through the middle of our city now. It would be like I'm in a foreign land with unknown people. I don't do very well with change.
10. Joey's battle with cancer and his death. How would I even be able to come to grips with the fact that the little baby I just had was gone already? Gone before I even had the chance to know his adorable personality, his hilarious outlook on life, his sweet positivity? I definitely wouldn't want to grieve it all over again, but I also wouldn't want to forget what we went through because ultimately it changed me as a mother and as a person.
Last week on Facebook I asked if I should check out a spin class (totally unrelated to my reading of the book). Considering everything I could forget, I think I might pass.
Have you ever thought about what would happen if you lost your memory? What are some of the most unforgettable events of the past decade for you?
