The Downside of a Good Memory

My short-term memory is barely adequate. It was never that good. But my long-term memory is really pretty decent. I remember throwing an aerosol can into a smoldering, backyard incinerator, and five minutes later witnessing an explosion. I recall being shocked that the can blew-up. How would I know; I was about 6 years old at the time? I'm sure of my age because I remember where we lived at that time, and we moved away from that location just a few months after my 7th birthday.

I remember eating a Three Musketeers candy bar I bought on the way home from school. I bought the candy bar with money given to me for purposes of buying milk at school. I stood outside, along the edge of the house, and scarfed down my treat. Again, I could not have been much over 7 years old at the time.

I remember one ice-cold morning when I was in the 6th grade and was a school patrol boy. We had these STOP flags on wooden poles that we would lower alongside the crosswalks when the kids were crossing. That one morning it was about 5 degrees Fahrenheit and the poles were like giant icicles in our small, inadequately-gloved hands. Afterwards, when he got inside, we were given hot chocolate in the school kitchen. I still remember holding the warm cup in my frozen hands.

But having a good memory has it's downside. I remember in the 5th grade telling a friend that fellow student Bob Luce was "nothing but a dumbhead", never realizing until it was too late that Bob was standing right behind me.

I recall staying over at a friend's house when I was about 9 years old and before bed we loaded up on Kool-Aid. Sometime in the middle of the night I had to pee, the only trouble was; I was still asleep at the time. It's tough to be a genuine 9 year-old boy and be guilty of wetting the bed, especially at someone else's house.

I recollect walking down the hall in junior high and seeing Kay Hinton at her locker. Kay was in one of my classes. She said a friendly hello and because she was not a spectacularly gorgeous 14 year-old girl, I rolled my eyes and muttered "yuk". That episode is getting near 50 years ago and I still regret it. In fact, to one degree or another I regret all of those fax pas, and a number of others I will not mention.

I hope that the long-term memories of Bob Luce and Kay Hinton are not as good as mine. But if they are; sorry you guys. If it's any consolation; I'm older now and hopefully not so insensitive... hopefully.