Forgetting is seen as a failure of the human mind, but recent studies show that the ability to forget is actually built into the brain’s functionality. By remembering too much, the brain becomes unable to pick out specific information that helps us to make important decisions, to avoid danger, to survive.

On the flip side, the brain remembers moments of pleasure and joy in the same way, so often memories are boiled down to a select few snippets, impressions that can include all of our senses, sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Whose memory or emotions have not been stirred unexpectedly, for instance, by a certain scent experienced on a particular day and place in time?

The Italian poet, Cesare, Pavese encapsulated this notion best by noting that we don’t remember days, we remember moments, and for me, so many of the moments I remember and cherish are those spent in nature. These images conjure up a sense of mystery, adventure and anticipation.

My connection to the outdoors and nature has existed forever, and the memories of moments spent there are often the most defining of my existence.