This episode’s vocabulary
To recall
verb — to bring the memory of a past event into your mind, and often to give a description of what you remember.
To endure
verb — to suffer something difficult, unpleasant, or painful.
Poignant
adj. — causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness.
To recount
verb — to describe how something happened, or to tell a story.
Resonant
adj. — making you think of a similar experience or memory.
Questions and answers
Rory, tell us, everything.
Well, I'm a teacher. So people tell me stories every day. The most recent one I heard was in a training session that we had for university. And the presenter was showing us how to do a task that would create a poem based on a memory. And she gave us an example by telling us about a memory from her childhood, and it was specifically of being home with her parents. And she recalled the smell of her mother's handbag and perfume. It sounds unusual, but that's part of the reason why I remembered it. She also described her feelings in the moment and the sounds of sitting in the living room and hearing her mother in the kitchen and her father working in the garden. And of course, she followed up with the sight of both of her parents doing what they were doing, and how that looked to her young eyes. Since children have no concept of chores and why they might be important in the house. She explained that this was a story she had told before at a conference, and someone asked why she focused on that particular memory. And the presenter replied, it was because she wished her parents were still there, as they passed on many years ago. And this was her, well, enduring memory of them. So that was quite a poignant moment. And it was very touching. I think even a few participants were crying as well, or they wept openly. It was quite, well, I was quite touched myself, as it was quite something for a professional to share that with her students, people that she barely knew. And it made me think about my own family, and how I will feel after they are gone. And indeed, how my future family might remember me and what sights, and sounds, and smells they might recount for others. I certainly hope that something is memorable and emotionally resonant is what I experienced in that training session. And I doubt I'll forget it for as long as I live.
And do you like stories in general?
Oh, yeah, I love stories!
Thank you very for your answer! -