Why are memories of people so easy to lose?
We assume we will never forget the people closest to us, yet over time all that remains is a feeling: “Grandma was always kind to me.” What actually brings a person back are specific words and gestures.
Four details worth writing down
- Their words: something they said, exactly as they said it, including catchphrases.
- Small habits: always tasting the soup first, ending every call with “alright then.”
- Firsts: the first meeting, the first trip together, making up after the first argument.
- Your private jokes: the line only the two of you understand.
Demo entry: Grandma never weighs anything when she makes dumplings. “Looks about right.” She taught me to pinch the edges today; I ruined three. “You eat the ugly ones.”
This is an original example.
Memories versus a log
| A log | A memory |
|---|---|
| Sunday lunch at Grandma’s. | Grandma said “you eat the ugly ones” and I could not stop laughing. |
| Records what you did | Records who they are |
Give each person a thread
Connect the entries about one person, and a year later they read like the story of your relationship. Add their birthday too, and revisit your moments together on the day.
In Gemi
Gemi lets you add @people to entries, gathers each person’s entries on their own page, and can remind you of birthdays. People exist only in your own journal and are never notified or synced to anyone.