In the last few weeks I attended high school and college graduations for two of my children and then my own 30-year college reunion. For the graduates, it is a scary and invigorating time for looking ahead and setting new goals (right kids!?).

At my reunion it was a time of looking back over the past. For me looking back included some regrets, some things I would rather not remember and poor recollections of people and events, alas, that I have forgotten (you’re getting old Dad!).

Ironically on the plane back from my reunion I read the book The Woman Who Can’t Forget by Jill Price. It is a about a woman from Los Angeles that has “the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science.” Her vivid autobiographical memory causes her to recall the details of events on any day of her life. In fact, Ms. Price has trouble controlling these thoughts and often feels both the positive and negative emotional impact of jumping back and forth in time and reliving these scenes of her life.

It was an interesting read since I had just spent the weekend struggling to remember my own classmates and the details of our time together 30+ years ago. A vivid memory is both a blessing and a curse. If you are like me, you will probably also prefer to not remember that failed exam or awkward date. And the book warned that dwelling on past failures can damage your psyche and keep you from trying and achieving future success.