Memory is like footprints in the grass

Memory is like footprints in the grass.

When you first walk on the grass, your footsteps leave a slight impression. But the grass quickly bounces back, and the traces disappear. If you walk on the same path twice in a short period, your steps will be more noticeable. If you walk on the path repeatedly, the grass will no longer bounce back. It may even die, creating a dirt path.

If we don't use the path, it will eventually become overgrown once more. The grass returns. If we leave it long enough, bushes may even start to grow there.

However, if the path is essential to us, and we use it regularly, it will become increasingly firm. We might decide to cover it with sand or even pave it. Then the path will be very durable. It will serve us reliably through the years.

Memory works similarly. When we first learn something, a weak trace is formed. If we repeat the new knowledge, the memory path becomes more robust. If we repeat it enough times, we won't forget it. But if we don't repeat it, the grass grows back, and the memory disappears. Therefore, if we want to remember things, we have to repeat and use them.