“If only there could be an invention that bottled up a memory, like scent. And it never faded, and it never got stale. And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like living the moment all over again.”
Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca
That’s the quote I’ve picked today. Isn’t it a beautiful thought?
The big moments of our lives remain etched in our memory for a long long time – winning a race at school, that first job, your wedding day, holding your baby for the very first time – those are the big ones, the ones we’re not likely to forget.
What I’d like to bottle, however, are the small, innocuous moments when life seems perfect for that one day or one hour, even though there’s nothing special about it.
I would pick out moments from my childhood – when we went on one of our precious few vacations to a hill-station and climbed a mountain peak then sang our way down with dried leaves crunching beneath our feet. I’d bottle up memories of freezing winter days when we’d come back from school and mom would hand us warm freshly ironed clothes to change into or a cold glass of lemonade on a hot May afternoon.
I’d bottle up this weekend when the kids and I snuggled together and watched Hunger Games while it rained outside, or when we sat out in the balcony studying together or even now as I sit writing this post on a cool cloudy day with sparrows chirping at my window.
A million happy moments disappear undocumented into the labyrinths of our memory, those are the ones I’d like to keep bottled up.
What are the memories that you’d like to bottle up?
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Beat About The Book 
First of all, such a lovely post, Tulika! I tried to come up with an analogy, but my creativity took a beating. 😦 When will I learn to express like you! ?
Anyway, about the memories I would like to bottle up – those after-dinner walks with mum under the moonlit sky, or when mum would point out to this or that nakshatra and enlighten me about our space. Or, those moments with Chikoo when he would go berserk on hearing hubby’s car’s horn and howl in ecstasy. Or, those long drives hubby and I went on, with the perfect music playing on the radio. Or, when I played the song from Titanic last year and Cookie who was perched on my shoulder hummed along in her parakeet-ese, for the very first time. Ah! I often think about these moments and wish I could hold onto them, or, as you said, bottle them up to take a whiff of during some gloomy moments.
How I love your posts, Tulika! ❤
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Aw Shilpa such beautiful memories. It’s wonderful that you could pin point moments that were perfect despite being deceptively innocuous – like the one where you played the music from Titanic. Beautiful without being grand.
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❤ Beautiful memories stay in our hearts forever! 🙂
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The quote is beautiful but your little memories are more beautiful. I would like to bottle up those hot June afternoons from my childhood when because of the power failure we used to open up all the doors and windows of the house for ventilation. We would then sit by the airiest door (read: loo or the hot winds) playing games while mummy used to sit beside us pinning fall in her saree. None of us complained if it was too hot or why did the transformer blow up. Those were simple days. This memory has already faded a bit because I do not remember where is our pet dog in this whole thing. I need to take this up with my brother if he remembers anything about those days.
The link to my post is in the pingback. Thank you, Tulika, for the nudge this morning because I had forgotten today was the Book Bytes day 🙂
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Oh I remember power cuts. They were celebration times because it meant no studies – at least till we were young. So did you find out about your dog?
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I found nothing on the pet dog because brother doesn’t even remember those hot afternoons.
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That’s such a beautiful excerpt–and yes, memories can be bottled up–I do that with photos, I think, by pausing, breathing in for a moment and telling myself to remember it. Thanks for sharing your memories with us, Tulika.
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You’re right, photos are precious too. I have piles and piles of them. This reminds me that I need to get them in some kind of order. Sigh!
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Such a lovely heartwarming post, Tulika! So tempted to join in with a post myself, after reading this.
I loved the quote you shared here today, Tulika, because it happens to be one of my very favourite quotes, from one of my very favourite books—how can I ever forget the lines that I had written in my diary as a high school kid years ago? I’ve just unlocked some precious memories from these lines.
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You did? You wrote those lines in your diary? That’s so sweet. This is one my favourite books too.
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Those are precious little memories. They make our lives all the more beautiful. Sometimes, on rainy days, I remember some of my old childhood days and smile. Although it feels like they belong to a different era, I still feel happy that I have lived them.
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Childhood memories are the best. Sometimes when I’m telling the children about some silly weird memory, it makes me laugh so hard I can barely talk.
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Here’s mine, Tulika.
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Thanks for linking up Esha.
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What a beautiful quote and like you, I would also bottle up those little memories that mean so much but get lost, eventually. I love #bookbytes but haven’t able to take it up.
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Thank you Parul. It’s sad that so many happy precious memories get lost.
Do link up when you can. I feel quotes trigger so many thoughts. It would be wonderful to have you.
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That is definitely a beautiful idea! 🙂 For me, music is often the conductor for reliving memories. And photos.
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Oh yes, music can often bring memories too.
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