There’s something funny about getting older. You can forget where you put your glasses (which, of course, are on your head), yet vividly remember the color of your childhood kitchen tiles.
Memory plays tricks on us like that.
But here’s the good news: if you’re in your sixties, seventies, or beyond, and can still recall these little moments from everyday life, chances are your mind is far sharper than you give it credit for.
I’ve spent much of my life helping others learn, first students and now readers like you, and one thing I’ve learned is this: memory is like a muscle.
It may creak a bit as we age, but it’s still very much alive, especially when it holds onto the moments that made us who we are.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane together.
1) Dialing a friend’s number by heart
Do you still remember the phone number of your best friend from high school?
Or maybe the landline you had in your first apartment? If those digits still roll off your tongue like a familiar melody, that’s no small thing.
Before smartphones became our external memory drives, we had to rely on our own minds to store a surprising amount of information.
I can still remember my parents’ number from decades ago, 436-0927.
I haven’t dialed it in forty years, but it’s etched in there, along with the smell of Sunday dinners and the sound of my father whistling while he read the paper.
Remembering sequences of numbers exercises a type of memory called working memory, and keeping those old phone numbers tucked away is like having well-toned mental muscles from all that practice.
2) Using a manual can opener (and knowing how it felt)
If you can picture that satisfying twist of a manual can opener cutting through metal, or even remember the tiny squeak it made, you’re accessing sensory memory, one of the most powerful forms there is.
I still have the same can opener from my first year of marriage. It’s slightly rusted now, but I keep it for sentimental reasons.
My grandchildren think it looks medieval compared to their parents’ electric gadgets, but there was something wonderfully simple about that small ritual, turning the handle, hearing that click, and watching the lid loosen.
When you can recall sensations like that, the touch, the sound, even the smell, you’re demonstrating a remarkable level of mental preservation.
It means your brain still weaves together the senses and emotions of memory, something no smartphone reminder can replicate.
3) Waiting for your favorite song on the radio
Do you remember hovering near your radio, finger ready on the record button, hoping the DJ wouldn’t talk over the intro? I do.
For me, it was Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon.” It took three tries before I finally got a clean copy onto my cassette.
That small act required patience, anticipation, and emotional engagement, all vital to memory formation. The effort it took to get that song meant it mattered more.
Modern convenience gives us instant playlists, but it robs us of that sweet anticipation. Waiting built excitement, and excitement helps cement memories.
Those who can still recall moments like that aren’t just reminiscing, they’re reconnecting with the way the brain once worked before everything became automatic.
4) Handwriting letters and remembering the joy of receiving one back
I still have a box of old letters tied with a ribbon.
Some from my university days, others from friends I’ve since lost touch with. The ink has faded, but the handwriting instantly takes me back.
There’s something intimate about recognizing someone’s script, the way they looped their y’s or dotted their i’s with a flourish.
Writing letters wasn’t just about words. It was about thoughtfulness and emotional presence. You chose your stationery, your pen, your phrasing.
You waited days, sometimes weeks, for a reply. That rhythm built patience and emotional awareness that stuck with us.
5) Knowing what it felt like to get lost and find your way home
Long before GPS and Google Maps, getting lost was almost a rite of passage.
Whether it was missing a turn on a country road or finding your way through a new neighborhood, you had to rely on intuition, landmarks, and a bit of courage.
I remember visiting my sister in Dublin in my twenties and taking a wrong bus. I ended up in a completely unfamiliar part of the city.
No mobile phone, no map, just me and a kind old man who pointed me toward the River Liffey and said, “Follow that, love. It’ll lead you home.” And it did.
When you recall those experiences, your brain replays the mental mapping you did, the sense of direction you cultivated, the problem-solving it took to find your way.
6) Remembering the smell of fresh mimeograph paper
If you went to school before the 1980s, you probably remember it well.
Teachers would hand out freshly copied worksheets from the mimeograph machine, and the whole classroom would lean in for that strange, slightly sweet smell.
When I started teaching, we still used those machines. I can still picture my students passing the pages around, purple ink slightly smudged, the scent wafting through the air.
Funny how certain smells can transport you instantly to a specific time and place.
That’s the magic of olfactory memory, the most primal and enduring kind. The part of your brain that processes smell is directly linked to the limbic system, which governs emotion and long-term memory.
If you can still recall that scent, you’re tapping into one of the oldest, most resilient parts of your mind.
7) Watching TV together as a family
Before streaming and personal screens, television was a shared experience. Families gathered around one set, often arguing good-naturedly over what to watch.
My two boys used to beg for “just one more episode” of MacGyver while I was trying to get them into bed.
Now, when my grandchildren watch their shows alone on tablets, I sometimes feel a pang of nostalgia for that togetherness.
If you can remember the flicker of the TV light in a dark room, the hum of the set, or even the commercials that seemed to go on forever, that’s collective memory at work.
It’s not just about what you watched, it’s about who you were with, what you felt, and how those evenings stitched you closer together.
Shared memories like that don’t fade easily. They’re emotionally charged and socially reinforced, which makes them stick.
If you can still picture those nights vividly, your memory is doing exactly what it was designed to do, holding on to what mattered most.
8) Feeling the weight of a real photo album in your hands
There’s something grounding about turning the pages of an old photo album, the weight of it, the soft crackle of plastic sleeves, the smell of aged paper.
I have one album that’s nearly falling apart, filled with family holidays and the boys’ school photos. Every time I flip through it, it’s as though time folds in on itself.
Digital photos are convenient, but physical ones carry a sensory dimension, texture, smell, light, that deepens memory.
Research backs this up: tactile experiences help anchor memories more firmly than purely visual ones.
When you can recall the feel of those pages or the little notes written beside a picture, you’re demonstrating a wonderfully intact sensory memory system.
A few thoughts on why this matters
It’s easy to feel disheartened when names slip your mind or you walk into a room and forget why.
I’ve had those moments too, more often than I’d like to admit. But memory isn’t just about recall speed or mental trivia. It’s about depth, emotion, and context.
Being able to remember how things felt, the texture of life before everything became digital, is evidence that your brain is still alive with connection and meaning.
Neuroscientists have found that emotionally rich memories tend to endure the longest.
That’s why you might forget what you had for breakfast yesterday but vividly remember a rainy afternoon from fifty years ago.
If you can recall these kinds of everyday experiences, take it as a sign of something beautiful: your memory hasn’t weakened, it’s become more selective.
A final word
Sometimes, when I’m volunteering at the local literacy center, I notice how the older adults I work with light up when they talk about the way things used to be.
There’s a clarity in their stories, a sharpness in their recollection that defies the idea that aging dulls the mind.
Memory isn’t just a record, it’s a story still being written.
And the fact that you can vividly recall the smell of a mimeograph, the ring of an old rotary phone, or the joy of getting a letter in the mail means your story is still alive and well.
How many of these moments do you still remember? More than you expected, I’ll bet. And that’s something worth smiling about.
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