Question and Thought for the Day February 24, 2025
Question of the Day: What’s something that feels like it happened yesterday, but really happened a long time ago?
Thought of the Day: Act by everyone, in the same manner as if you supposed yourself to be him, and him to be you. Hierocles
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “That just happened, right?”—only to realize it was years, maybe even decades ago? Memory is a funny thing. Some moments fade into the fog of the past, while others remain so vivid they could have happened yesterday.
Maybe it’s the first time you heard your favorite song. The way the opening chords transported you right back to that summer, the sun low in the sky, the air thick with the smell of possibility. Or maybe it’s a conversation with someone who’s no longer here—their voice, their laughter, still fresh in your mind despite the years stretching out between then and now.
There’s a strange elasticity to time. Some moments get locked in, refusing to age, while others slip away before we even realize they were important. Why is that?
Psychologists suggest that emotionally charged memories—good or bad—get imprinted in a way that mundane ones don’t. Our brains prioritize meaning over chronology. That’s why a heartbreak from ten years ago can still sting, while last Tuesday’s lunch order? Gone.
Today’s thought of the day from Hierocles offers an interesting perspective: “Act by everyone, in the same manner as if you supposed yourself to be him, and him to be you.” In other words, put yourself in someone else’s shoes, swap perspectives, and see the world through their eyes.
But what if we applied that to time? What if we saw our past selves with fresh eyes—not just through nostalgia, but with empathy? The person we were when that moment happened, the choices we made, the emotions we felt—what if we gave that version of ourselves some grace?
Memory may play tricks on us, but maybe that’s not always a bad thing. The moments that stick with us do so for a reason. Maybe they’re reminders, maybe they’re warnings, or maybe they’re just proof that we lived fully, even if time has done its best to blur the lines.
So, what’s something that feels like it happened yesterday, but really happened a long time ago?
Let’s hear it. Share your story in the comments.