“In these unprecedented times” is a phrase our family has been using lately. While true, it’s also our way of commenting on the changes of a global pandemic. Life as we knew it two months ago has shifted, but it doesn’t mean we stop making moments memorable.
I’m celebrating this week because MemoryMinders groups met for the first time ten years ago! I’ve learned that just like life, the way we do things has to change. But the mission has and will remain the same: help make moments memorable.
This COVID-19 pandemic has reminded me of some of the best ways to make memorable moments. We need these strategies almost more now than ever and my family has been implementing these during our stay at home. I’ve compiled a summarized list to engage our minds, remember more, and finish this ‘unprecedented time’ well.
Here are a few tips to engage our minds and make memorable moments:
- Embrace the new. Learning new things is a great brain exercise and accomplishes things in new ways. Here’s just a sample of new things we’ve learned in the past six weeks: plumbing skills, different techniques to support loved ones, online learning platforms and their challenges, apps to connect remotely, and different communication methods. New isn’t necessarily bad. All these new skills will help us in the future. By shifting our mindset to embrace the new, we not only learn, but also enhance overall cognition and memory.
- Remember the old. We’ve dug into old recipes, photos, and memories recently. It’s a fun way to reminisce and share past experiences with our children and friends. In remembering the old, we bring new and layered context to the present. It engages our minds and creates both connections to the past and new memories in the present.
- Capture the present. Whether it’s pictures, notes, quotes, or phrases, capturing moments now will help us remember them later. We’ve been writing down our quotes and phrases, taking pictures, and simply paying attention in our present reality. This assists our recall and appreciation of each other and today as the gifts they are.
- Appreciate the now. This time may not be exactly as we imagined or hoped, but it’s what we have. Let’s not spend this unprecedented time lamenting loss, but appreciate what and who we have. It’s a shift from a “have to” to a “get to” mindset. (Instead of we ‘have to’ stay home, we ‘get to’ protect ourselves and others by staying home). Shift to appreciate the now, it’s the only time we have.
- Anticipate the future. Ten years ago, I could not have imagined all the people helped, curriculum and courses created, words written, or connections made. We may not know what the future brings, but we can prayerfully plan, do the work in front of us, make moments memorable, and anticipate the future with joy.
I do not know what the next moment, year, or decade will bring. But I do know even in these unprecedented times, I’ll be making moments memorable and encouraging you to do the same. To that end, check out some of the new services offered for individuals and groups. To get the latest updates, encouragement, and resources, sign up as a subscriber to the right –> if you haven’t already.
Let’s take these unprecedented times and choose to make them memorable!