Memories ... naked truth

Artist: betsisanders 09
Title: Memories ... Naked Truth
Medium: Watercolor
Size: 6 x 8 inches

While watching a local television show, they featured people who had 'collections', one had a collection of vintage electric guitars, another one had memorabilia of rock stars, one lady had a room full of expensive designer bags, Birkin's, Kelly's,LV's etc. Then I thought, what if there suddenly is an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9, or some flash flooding happens? Their collections will be buried in rubble or soaked in mud. What then?

When is it enough? When is it too much? When is it a need, a want, a whim, an obsession or an illness? After the tenth Hermes bag, what more can satisfy your need or is it greed? After that Porsche, that Bentley or that Harley, what more do you want to acquire?

Collect memories, friends, graces and not material things. Acquire things that need not be carried, like movie tickets, or tickets to the ball game. Purchase season passes to the ballet or watch plays at the theatre. Indulge in fine dining or simple fast food finds. Travel with family and friends and have a good time.Spend your time creating and not buying useless things that clutter your life. You might think that the designer bag you bought using your credit card is the best, but no dear, someone else has a bigger bag, a more expensive bag, an original and not a 'knock-off'. Have coffee with your best friend or have fast lunches with your travel buddies. Dance the night away while watching your favorite band play non-stop dance music. Swing to the beat of "I love the nightlife". Remember the time that your friend dedicated a song number for you. Reminisce the good times, the dates with your husband. Think back on all the wonderful things your husband has done for you. Never forget how he has kept his cool while you recklessly insulted , shouted, even kicked him out of your frustration and anger. Bear in mind the kindness and care he has given you for almost 25 years . Recall your son's first steps, first words, first everything......Store all these memories in your memory bank. When feeling down, log on to these thoughts, these wonderful fond memories of happy times. Relive them in your thoughts.

"Memory is amazing. Our memories shape us, they serve as a backdrop for our daily lives, context for our actions, a rationale for our sometimes dubious decisions. Who we are today is extrinsically woven through with memories of who we were yesterday and the days before that, where we highlight episodes from our past, spotlighting our first loves, latest disappointments or hates. They are all woven in the threads of our tapestry ,called life. Pull one thread and watch how the whole thing unravels. Who did what to whom, what foods we've developed a taste for, what skills we have mastered or failed at, what movies we enjoyed, what music we've danced to, what movie star we admire, or what politicians we hate. If we can't remember such seemingly ordinary details, well, then, who are we?"

"It's our memories that define us. Without them, we don't have an identity. We have nothing. Those pathetic old creatures who have outlived their memories and now sit screaming in lonely hospital corridors, scream not with the pain of their deteriorating organs, but rather with the agony of no longer knowing who they are, their ears searching for the familiar voice, their eyes staring blankly not recognizing their old faces or reflections. They live for nothing."

My mother used to cry all the time, she screamed all night, for several months, while she lay down on her bed, unable to move her body, unable to feed herself, unable to sit or stand without the aid of a caregiver. Many nights, she begged me to end it for her. :( I never talked about her illness. I never mentioned to her how serious her condition was.... because I didn't want to rob her of hope. But I knew that she knew her time was short and will soon be over.

So when the time comes that my memory will fail me, or my body has stopped working for me... Please help me out of this painful, dreadful, pitiful situation. When my mind has forsaken me, and fond memories have gone, I, too have gone away. All that will be left is the naked, bare body. Just like a child, born naked, one dies naked, bare... that's the naked truth.

June 14, 2009 / 2 AM........ betsisanders