My Core Memories (from Inside Out)

Inside Out was a movie that really got me thinking about a lot of things, which is something that I love in the film.  One of the things that I was really intrigued by was the idea of core memories.  This post may contain a few spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie what are you waiting for?

In the movie Riley has 5 core memories that make up different parts of her personality.  It got me thinking about what mine would be.  We also saw that she could have more than 5 (a 6th was supposed to be added right before Joy and Sadness got lost), and that they can change over time.  They also got a bit more complex as she got older.  So keeping that in mind, and the fact that I’m not an 11 year old, here’s what I think my own core memories/personality islands might be.

Marriage Island

I wasn’t sure what to call this one (Jason island? relationship island?  love island?) but I finally just decided to call it Marriage Island.  I like to think that maybe it started out with a different name (like one of the previously mentioned ones) and then evolved into marriage island once we had our wedding.  Obviously being married to someone makes up a huge part of who you are.  I really do feel like my husband makes me a better person.  The core memory to marriage island, not surprisingly, would be our wedding day – the day that we swore to be together for the rest of our lives.  This core memory is a pure joy one.

Theater Island

Just like Riley has hockey, one of my passions is theater.  The memory that began it all for me was when I was in second grade and wanted to start a theater group with my friends.  We put on “Tea for Felicity,” an American Girl play, and I was bitten by the acting bug.  It’s only grown from there, with performances all throughout high school, college, and now as a hobby with community theater.  This island probably has a whole section just dedicated to musicals as well, since those are probably my favorite types of plays to perform.  I think the core memory would be mostly joy but perhaps a hint of sadness, since it’s an area where I often end up feeling down or frustrated if I don’t get into a play or feel like I’m not good enough.

Honesty Island

Maybe I “stole” this one from Riley, but I really feel strongly that honesty is one of my core values.  It all started at a very young age.  I have a vivid memory of taking one of my brother’s toys because he annoyed me and hiding it.  When my mom found it she asked if I had done it and I denied it.  Minutes later I was feeling so guilty about this move that I confessed that it was me.  Even to this day, watching any sort of dishonesty is movies or reading it in books makes me anxious and upset.  This one would be a combination of joy and fear, since as I mentioned I get anxiety in dishonest situations!

Disney Island

Disney really is a huge part of my life and who I am!  There would be lots of different areas to this island, including a theme park area, movies area, and now a very large blogging area.  I have some early memories of Disney movies that I loved, but the biggest memory that would probably be the core one for this was my very first visit to Disney World at the age of 9.  It really got me hooked on everything Disney.  This is another one that is pretty much pure joy.

Friends and Family Island

I’m lucky to have so many great friends and family that are part of my life.  These people represent important times in my life and have helped me grow and mature into who I am.  I have some friends who have stuck with me through everything, and some really great family members.  So many of my earliest memories are of family that any one of these could be a core memory, like when my parents read bedtime stories to my brother and I or when we would all watch a movie together.  I’d say here we have another mostly yellow memory with perhaps a little sadness – leaving behind the days of being a kid or friends that you no longer see can make these memories a little bit sad.

Library Island

The world of books and my career!  I’ve always loved reading and visiting the library, but I never realized I would make it my job one day.  The world of children’s literature is so much fun and since I’m involved in it almost every day it’s a big part of who I am. There would also be a Harry Potter section to this island since that’s my favorite book series. I have very positive memories of visiting the child as a library and participating in the summer reading club, so that’s probably where my core memory of library love began.  This one is pretty much all joy.

Running Island

This is my newest island – it only formed not even two years ago!  I never thought anything athletic would be something core to my being, but I’ve really fallen in love with running.  I run at least 3 times a week so it’s hard for it not to be one of my main personality islands.  I had originally decided to run the Enchanted 10k just to have another “Disney experience” – and I was hooked!  The memory of running that race, my first “real” race, is the core memory here.  This one is mostly joy but perhaps a little red anger thrown in – running can certainly be a frustrating experience sometimes and I get mad at my sport!

Have you thought about this? What would your core memories and personality islands be?