cranberry raspberry

this article discusses the reason why humans remember the third decade of their lives with much better clarity than any other time period (via unfogged). i think the theory of the reminiscence bump coinciding with the period of identity formation has serious credence.  i have another theory, though.  i think that the level of a human’s perceived hope is proportional to the sharpness of their memories. very early on we are incapable of understanding what is beyond our environment.  during childhood we may see what we can’t grasp but we have no immediate hope of attaining it.  however, when the freedom to roam and explore and make bad decisions comes rushing at us like a dam bursting in early adulthood everything is perceived to be at our fingertips.  the immediate hope of something better, something different, something unknown fills us.  we lose that hope slowly as the marrow of our destiny ossifies.

i started drinking diet snapple at nineteen.  i’m not sure there is a clearer memory in my head.