"So Long Ago" Response

For me, the most striking thing about Richard Bausch's short story,  "So Long Ago", is the way the author created a sense of the fragility of time.  Bausch's writing had a tone of nostalgia that made me think of smoke slipping through fingertips. 

The first time I felt this tone, was when the author recalls the moment his son forgot a precious piece of his childhood.  He states that the child had no trouble remembering that day two weeks prior but, “one winter evening as [they] were riding in the car on the way to a movie” (Bausch) he discovered his son had lost all recollection of the event.  This instance made me realize just how delicate the human mind is.  When it comes down to it, at the end of our life, the only thing we really have of value is our memories.  The fact that they can just disappear without a trace is unnerving at best.

The importance of memories, especially in one’s golden years is highlighted by the author’s anecdote of his great grandmother.  He recalls her telling him all the stories of her youth and “coming from Ireland on a ship” (Bausch).  She insisted young Richard would grow up to become a writer and tell her tales.  The emphasis the elderly women put on the accounts of her days gone by shows just how much value such memories hold.  She was well aware she was coming to the end of her life, and chose to spend her last years reflecting on all the joys and the sorrows she had experienced throughout her time on Earth, savoring the human experience.

I really enjoyed this piece of literature because it forced me to think about my own memories and reflect on the events of my past.  It really highlights the fact that experiences are more than just the past; they are stories waiting to be told.  Every emotion, for better or for worse is a vital part of being human and we have an inherent need to express ourselves and share the experience with others.