Just spotted a robin in my yard that reminded me of my old neighbor, Mr. Henderson, who taught me to listen for their song at dawn.

He leaned over the fence in '98, pointed at the bird, and said, 'That's not just a chirp, it's a morning hello,' and I've listened for it every spring since.

4 comments

4 Comments

leo_fisher2mo ago

Actually that sounds like a pretty sad way to live. Getting stuck on some old memory every time you see a bird is just letting the past hold you back. New neighbors move in, old ones leave, that's just life. Maybe it's better to just hear a chirp and keep moving with your day instead of always looking backwards.

ryantorres2mo ago

Try letting the memory sit for a second without fighting it, then just let it go. It gets easier with practice.

shanelee2mo ago

My brain's default setting is to grab a memory like a dog with a squeaky toy and just shake it for twenty minutes. A certain smell of rain can lock me into replaying a whole awkward conversation from 2012. Practice might make perfect, but I'm still very much in the amateur leagues here.

wesley_adams2mo ago

Just hear a chirp and keep moving" misses the point for me. I read once that these small memories are what build a meaningful life, not something to rush past.

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