It’s always rather disconcerting when someone else has a different version of a memory that I’ve been invested in my whole life long. Which version is correct? And if my version is wrong, how did it change over time?
This is particularly unsettling when I’ve told a story time and time again to explain why it is that I’ve come to be the way I am. Have I been molding myself out of pure fantasy? But it feels so real…
Memories, it seems, can take on lives of their own. That kind of makes me feel as though I have nothing on which to hang my hat. The solid foundation I thought I had, as poorly constructed as it may have been, now seems to be built on quicksand. Scary.
And here’s the kicker: the older you get, the more memories you have. And the more they tend to fade. And yet you’re still you. Aren’t you?
Or are you?
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The View from a Drawbridge 
I have been working on a memoir for a few months now and this idea and question has come up repeatedly for me. I still don’t know the answer, but I do know that my version is true for me…at least until something comes along to change my mind about it.
We can only live our own truths. Good luck with the memoir!
One more important point – We can tell ourselves a version of our story that casts us as a victim or as a victorious warrior. Choose wisely. It can shape the future.
That’s profound and true. Thanks, Stephanie!