Tenderly

Once upon a time, a long time ago, in a place far, far away… That’s not always the beginning of a fairy tale. Sometimes it’s a memory that comes back to keep us company and immediately our minds drift away in time and space. We lower every defence. It has nothing to do about hic et nunc, here and now, there is no danger, we can relax, let go. 

It is the soul that is talking to us and communicating with our most emotional, most unconscious part. Maybe sometimes we embellish our memories a little, maybe we only remember those that are dearest to us. They can be beautiful memories but also sad ones, sometimes of things or people who are no longer with us but who continue to live on within us. We don’t want or can’t erase them, because they have given us emotions, experiences. They have helped us and compelled us to grow. Memories are sometimes expressed in words and there are those memories that can’t find the words to express themselves because, well, those words don’t exist. Some memories need to be captured, if sometimes the real world can’t, the world of the heart will. Two great musical artists, Mogol and Lucio Battisti, have painted these moments with the words “You cannot understand, you can call them emotions if you want.” Even words hide meaning. We may have never thought about it but there is a difference between remembering and reminiscing: Remember comes from the Latin recordari to remember divisible into re-, “again,” and cordis, genitive of cor, “heart,” which means to have back in the heart, in our emotions. To remind, is to have back in the mind, in logic, for study. There are people who prefer to live in the present, to think about the concrete, to be down to earth. Others think about the future. 

There are those who dream about it, those who plan it and those who build it. There is no such thing as who is right and who is wrong. Instead, there are many different personalities and there are many different moments in each person.

 

 

TEST

 

1) You begin writing a letter to Santa Claus, you

a) have been very good and he will bring you gifts

b) have been good enough and he will bring you some gifts

c) have been… it’s better if you buy yourself gifts

 

2) A book is entitled “Anchor,” it will be about

a) a boat immobilized at sea

b) someone reading the news on TV

c) you read a few pages to have an idea

 

3) You planned everything, but something unexpected comes up, you

a) get angry

b) try to adapt your program to the unexpected events

c) plan everything over again

 

4) In a few years you would like to be

a) richer

b) wiser

c) more carefree

 

5) You made a mistake and others know it; your first reaction

a) what a bad impression I made!

b) why did I make a mistake?

c) I pretend to be right

 

6) A cellar is

a) a storeroom

b) a small pantry

c) a winery

 

7) You’re tired but you must get this job done, you

a) look for help

b) keep on working

c) rest

 

8) A hike in the woods

a) so much effort!

b) what a smell!

c) what will there be on top of the hill?

 

9) You are at home and there is a strong wind; you think

a) I am sheltered

b) if I had a windmill

c) I wonder what the bora wind is like in Trieste

 

10) Regardless of the pandemic, where would you like to spend Christmas

a) with family

b) with friends

c) travelling

 

11) You are furnishing a medium-sized room, you prefer to have

a) a comfortable couch

b) a large but bulky couch

c) a small couch, to be close

 

12) Honesty is a matter of respecting

a) laws

b) one’s own rights

c) one’s own ideals

 

13) You imagine a fountain; it’s

a) by a designer

b) on a mountain

c) in a public park

 

14) Whoever has time to do things, should not waste it and act immediately

a) that’s right

b) it’s stressful

c) it depends on the occasions

 

15) You are meeting new people; you want to know

a) what they do for a living

b) who they are friends with

c) what their hobbies are

 

SCORE

Question

1) 3 2 1

2) 2 3 1

3) 3 2 1

4) 1 3 2

5) 2 1 3

6) 3 2 1

7) 1 2 3

8) 2 3 1

9) 3 1 2

10) 3 2 1

11) 2 1 3

12) 2 1 3

13) 1 3 2

14) 1 3 2

15) 1 3 2

 

 

EXPLANATIONS FROM 45 TO 36 POINTS: THE PAST

It’s important that memories have their own place, that they keep you company and help you figure out what you’ve become. But it’s equally important that they don’t overwhelm you taking up too much time in your day. Sometimes you can give them a lot of space because you may be afraid of the future. Try to set shorter-term goals or that are easier to achieve, and that way even the present can be beautiful and become the basis for a possible tomorrow.

 

FROM 35 TO 26 POINTS: THE PRESENT

You bring memories to action and action to memories. You value both and manage to maintain a proper balance. Yesterday, today, tomorrow; the past is your roots, the present is the trunk and the leaves, flowers, fruits, are the future. All in a harmonious balance of common sense, moderation, and objectivity.

 

FROM 25 TO 15 POINTS: THE FUTURE

It is strictly forbidden for you to wallow excessively in memories. Commit your energy to figuring out what you want. Then, plan and figure out how to achieve your goal. Memories are a unique and irreplaceable treasure, they are important pages in the book of your life, but you consider yourself a practical person and therefore, in your opinion, they should not interfere too much with the present and the future.

 

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