A little lake leads to some bigger thoughts

Some places are remembered very differently from how they are today. Sometimes they used to be much, much bigger, and elsewhere you are surprised to find that it is not as small and narrow as you thought. You cannot always rely on your own memory, as it can be quite deceptive, since our memories are often shaped by our desires. Much of what we remember has little in common with the reality of the past. Depending on your personal situation and circumstances, this can be either a blessing or a curse.

I am not sure whether we get philosophical today; or we if we will leave that to others this time. We might just step outside and take a little stroll around familiar surroundings—for our own physical and mental relaxation, so to speak.

Which brings me back to my initial thoughts, because these familiar surroundings always present themselves in a different way. Not completely, but still significantly, and perhaps my frequent and usually quite long absences are the main reason for all of this. Or is it just forgetfulness or is it (already) the onset of dementia?

I'd rather not have asked that last question, so I'll stick with the first theory. When you haven't been to a place for a long time, you notice much more clearly how it has changed. Especially if you were quite familiar with the place from previous visits.

When you return, you like to convince yourself of this familiarity, but when you look around, you notice that suddenly completely different trees have grown up here, and others have already disappeared. Just like here at this little lake, which used to be much bigger in my memories.

But when I think about it, I can't actually remember exactly how it looked here. I can remember some places, but a hundred meters further on, it looks now completely different. Too much time has passed, and too much grass has grown over everything you once knew.

If I didn't know exactly where I was standing now and was only shown these photos, I probably wouldn't be able to say where they were taken. In the end, isn't one lake the same as all the others?

Of course there are differences, but over the years these differences often seem less significant than they used to be, and they no longer have a firm place in our memories. We have seen too much, and this puts individual experiences into perspective, making them just one of many. And even if we have a lot of memories associated with individual places, the images in our minds eventually fade and blur.

It may help to refresh your memories from time to time and update the images. But unfortunately, this means that a lot of things get written over, because in your mind too, the old has to make room for the new.

There's no point in moaning about it, but you shouldn't fight a little melancholy. This bittersweet feeling is already very familiar to me and has become a constant companion. And I know that it will be there when I pass this lake again one day and look at the water in front of me.

Then, when I rummage through my thoughts again and wonder whether it has always looked like this around here and what might have changed. The tree here and the bush there—didn't they stand here in the past as well? But when was that ?

These questions may not be essential, but sometimes it's just nice to think about them. Every now and then, it's good to take a break from more important topics, because our heart needs to be engaged too. And even if the lake in front of us isn't quite as big as the smallest sea, here we can still send our thoughts and feelings on a long journey...