Most of us, in general, dwell on the importance of having a good memory.

A bad memory is
such a handicap in life that everyone realizes the advantages of a good one. By a good
memory we mean a retentive and accurate memory; one that will retain for us the
knowledge once gained, and retain it correctly. How slow and erratic will be the progress of
a student who cannot remember what he has learnt.

He is like Sisyphus, the poor wretch the Greek fable tells about, who was condemned to
push a stone up a “hill in Hades which was rolling down again and again before it reached
the top. In business life, a man who cannot remember his appointments and is always
forgetting their order he receives will soon be left behind. A servant who forgets to do his
work at proper, time quickly, loses his job. One of the poorest excuses we can make for work
undone is “I am awfully sorry; but I forgot.”

And it is an excuse that is not excused if it is made too often. A good memory is essential for
a student, businessman, employee, politician – in fact for everyone in every walk of life. It is
necessary, too, in social life; for a person who forgets his social engagements and never
remembers the faces of those he met, will never be social success.

People with bad memories, however, need not despair, for even the worst memory is
inattention, lack of concentration. We often blame but our lack of attention when learning.
You read a book and at once forget all about it; you forget it because you never really took it
into your mind, and your mind was wandering so you never really took it into your mind
what the author wrote. The first step in training memory is to learn, to concentrate your
mind on what we are doing, and give it our whole thought.

We must learn to notice things, carefully observe what we see, consciously and
determinedly attend to what we are about; and then regular repetition of the knowledge we
have gained will quickly strengthen our memory till remembering becomes a habit.

Memories are a vital component of our bodies. They shape our personality as all our
knowledge and past experiences are stored there. All of us have memories, both good and
bad. You have memories from long ago and also from recent times. Furthermore, some
memories help us get by tough days and make us cheerful on good days.


 Memories are the little things which help in running our lives smoothly. In other words,
memories are irreplaceable and they are very dear to us. They help us learn from our
mistakes and make us better. In my opinion, one’s childhood memories are the dearest to
anyone. They help in keeping the child in you alive. Moreover, it also is a reason for our
smiles in between adult life.

Childhood memories are very important in our lives. It makes us remember the best times
of our lives. They shape our thinking and future. When one has good childhood memories,
they grow up to be happy individuals. However, if one has traumatic childhood memories, it
affects their adult life gravely.

Thus, we see how childhood memories shape our future. They do not necessarily define us
but they surely play a great role. It is not important that someone with traumatic childhood
memories may turn out to be not well. People get past their traumatic experiences and grow
as human beings. But, these memories play a great role in this process as well.

Most importantly, childhood memories keep the inner child alive. No matter how old we
get, there is always a child within each one of us. He/She comes out at different times.

For instance, some may act like a child on seeing swings; the other may get excited like a
child when they see ice cream. All this happens so because we have our childhood memories
reminding us of the times associated with the things we get excited about. Therefore,
childhood memories play a great role in our lives.

Growing up, I had a very loving family. I had three siblings with whom I used to play a lot. I
remember very fondly the games we use to play. Especially, in the evenings, we used to go
out in the park with our sports equipment. Each day we played different games, for example,
football on one day and cricket on the other. These memories of playing in the park are very
dear to me.

Furthermore, I remember clearly the aroma of my grandmother’s pickles. I used to help her
whenever she made pickles. We used to watch her do the magic of combining the oils and
spices to make delicious pickles. Even today, I can sometimes smell her pickles whenever I
look back at this memory.
 Most importantly, I remember this instance very clearly when we went out for a picnic with
my family. We paid a visit to the zoo and had an incredible day. My mother packed
delectable dishes which we ate in the zoo. My father clicked so many pictures that day.
When I look at these pictures, the memory is so clear, it seems like it happened just
yesterday. Thus, my childhood memories are very dear to me and make me smile when I feel
low.

A.1 Childhood memories shape our personality and future. They remind us of the good
times and help us get by on tough days. Moreover, they remind us of past experiences and
mistakes which help us improve ourselves.

Q.2 What can be a common childhood memory for all?

A.2 In my opinion, a childhood memory most of us have in common is the first day of
school. Most of us remember what we felt like on the first day. In addition, our birthdays are
also very common childhood memory that reminds us of gifts and celebrations on that day.