Human memory is a curious thing.
It seems like every day now I struggle at least once to find a word that's on the tip of my tongue. Then there are these two anecdotes:
Last Saturday night I saw Styx in concert. That got me to thinking about the Styx album I won from a local now-defunct radio station, and one of the songs on that album that I played so often that the grooves in the record probably simulated the Grand Canyon. Anyway, it took me awhile to recall even the title of that song, which was not a big hit, and I couldn't remember the lyrics. So, I headed over to YouTube and was almost immediately found that song. It had been over 40 years since I heard that song, but at the first note I started singing along, recalling the words as if I'd read them over breakfast. (Aside: I wonder what ever happened to all my records from high school? I have so few remaining.)
Today was my first day back at work since school got out in June. Over the weekend I tried but couldn't remember the combination to the lock I use to secure the storage closet in my classroom. How would I get in there? As soon as I walked up to the closet, though, and held the lock in my hand, I just started spinning the dial to the right numbers without even thinking about it.
Human memory is a curious thing.
4 comments:
And what was the song you were trying to remember?
I agree, it sure it.
BTW, as a huge Styx fan (still have all their vinyl albums) what was the song in question?
With memory, context is everything.
My best physics students would take AP Physics 2, so I'd have them for a second year. I'd get to know them as sharp, witty and ambitious students with great potential. They'd often ask if I'd miss them after they graduated.
Truth is, by the Fourth of July, I wouldn't even remember their names. When school started back, and I got my new batch of dull and listless mopes, I would remember them all and miss them terribly. I never told them the first part.
It's like the brain has different hard-drives for different contexts. Have you ever run into someone from the old neighborhood or college, and felt that hard-drive spins up? You recall crazy stories that you haven't thought of in decades.
Lights.
And now that I've listened to it again, it's not even a very good song! But it was very important to me back then.
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