When we hear lots of details in repeated stories, we note that the storyteller’s version may not be exactly correct, the way we remember the incident, or the way the person related an earlier version of the same story. So we may find ourselves commenting that this older person’s memory is slipping, or isn’t exactly correct as we remember it. But correct is not the deal here. They are not scripting a documentary. They’re using memory as a vehicle with which to intensify a part of their life that means a lot to them. They’re reaching for a value. They’re trying to understand a person. Attention to detail is one way to get there.