The inspiration to start Winged Sandals did not start from wanderlust-ing remote locations all over the world (ok maybe a little bit). It really started with my father. When my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s two years ago, It didn’t really hit me until a few months later when I noticed him struggling to remember the names of his children. He would go on daily walks and forget his way back home. We would show him old photographs and he would fail to recall when and where they were taken. The funniest instance was when we asked him what the date was that day and he told us his own birthday instead. Needless to say, we had a good laugh about that. The saddest moment was when I yelled “Bye Dad!” before leaving for work; I looked back for a response but he just stood there staring back at me with this face that said “I have no idea who you are.”

The moment lasted for only a split second but I was floored.

We hold our memories to be so precious to us but what are we doing to immortalize them forever? I have always had this irrational fear of growing old and not being able to remember my youth. I remember my dad used to take pictures of us during every childhood event and whenever I randomly come across the pictures today, I have to sit down and just be glad that these moments were captured. It’s ironic that the very person who inspired me to pursue my passion in writing and photography is unable to do it himself now. It’s only fitting for me to carry the torch.

We’re not guaranteed a life of 80 years or even 40 years. Hell, we’re not even guaranteed tomorrow. I read a quote a few years back when I was going through a rough time and it changed my perspective on life completely.

“Before you know it it’s 3 am and you’re 80 years old and you can’t remember what it was like to have 20 year old thoughts or a 10 year old heart.” -Anita Spallenberg 

I don’t want to regret my life. I don’t want to look back and wonder where the years went. I want to look at my future children and grandchildren and tell them stories of my youth; My teen years; My struggles as a young woman. I want to share my memories, but in order for me to do that I have to remember them first. I curse J. K. Rowling for introducing her readers to the pensieve. You not only get to store your memories forever but you can experience them from a third-person point of view. I know I can’t possibly be the only one who thought this was the coolest thing ever (Harry Potter nerd forever). Sadly, we don’t live in a magical land that has these things at our disposal, but since I’m wearing a metaphorical pair of winged sandals, this blog can suffice as a pensieve.