Your First Memory

Early in July, one of the rooms in the condo where I live, found itself empty. My first impulse was to rent it out as quickly as I could so I wouldn't lose the rent, but as I cleaned and painted I found myself thinking of other uses for it. Suddenly it became my office. I'm still moving things in and making it homey but there is no doubt that it will remain my "office".

I have no need for an office really. All I do is check the sports scores, the weather and my email. But I have found that I am liking the place to go for solitude. It's kinda cool to sit up here, looking out the window, and just putter around. My desk sits in front of a big window. Outside the window is a very large evergreen tree and during the day I can sit and watch the squirrels playing and jumping from branch to branch. The birds also enjoy the protection of the close knit branches.

Stay with me here folks, I'm getting to the point soon. So in my office I now have my desk, computer, and old couch and joy of joys, my old stereo! While I enjoy the hundreds of songs on my computer and the hundreds of CD's that I have, I found myself longing for some of the old music that I used to listen to on LP. Yes, I said records. There is something actually soothing about the crackle and pop of a record.

After I hooked everything up, there came the question of what to play first. Easily, I reached for the double album, Sinatra at the Sand with Count Basie. What a great album this is! I got it on CD a long time ago and was disappointed to find that it wasn't exactly like the album. Some producer messed around with it and screwed it all up. I found the same thing with The Beatles Rubber Soul album. The playlist was different. Why do they have to play with perfection? Next I played Steeleye Span - Below The Salt. Another great album that I believe isn't available on CD yet. Now I'm listening to Amahl And The Night Visitors. Don't ask me why, I just want to run through all the great music that I collected and grew up with.

So while I'm reveling in memory, I remembered an article I just read that talked about a first memory. It seems that when you're in therapy, one of the standard questions that shrinks ask is about your first memories. While I haven't had the pleasure of a doctor's couch, I tried to think of the very first memory I could conjure. The first thing I remember was November 22nd, 1963. I was 3 years old. You older folks remember this date without having to reference anything. America had just lost its leader to an assassin's bullet in Dallas, Texas. I believe this is the first thing I remember. I don't remember the event itself but the result of it. My mother was ironing in front of the TV and I was playing on the floor. She suddenly stopped what she was doing and started to cry. I remember many, many years later telling my mother about it and she was astounded by my description. She said that I remembered it exactly.

What's your first memory?