Isn’t it fascinating how our brains work (or don’t 😂).
I’m gonna give a personal example that made me think to write this post. My parents & I were driving back from a cousin’s this wknd, & of course the hardest thing to do w many in the car, is agree on a radio station.
We settled on 101.1, WCBS FM…which plays hits from like the 80s, 90s, even early 2000s. Funny enough, these are considered – oldies.
As each song came on, I found myself singing along to most every word of every song played. Now mind you – I’m not a “music person.” In fact listen to how weird this is: Play a popular song I know & have listened to thousands of times, & if I take a guess, abt 98 of 100 times, I couldn’t tell you a) who the artist is, b) what the name of the song is. It’s like I have amnesia for that stuff.
At the same time: 1) give me only two notes & I can start to sing the rest of any song I’ve heard before, & 2) nail every word. How is that possible??? How is it this info is somewhere in my brain, & I can start connecting word after word, but I can’t tell you the name of the song or who sings it? My dad was like – how do you know EVERY word?
When I was at my worst, in bed for those 2.5 yrs, cognitively impaired, I remember I’d get so upset that things didn’t just “come to me.” I’d test myself, & wouldn’t be able to remember more than 3 or 4 basketball teams in the NBA. I couldn’t understand how that was possible. It felt like the info was erased.
Now that I’m “better” I’ll sometimes daze off & think, nothing’s coming to mind. Meanwhile, start talking to me abt a topic & I’ll remember the most random facts & memories & piece together a coherent response. Not so dissimilar to how my mind remembers words to songs.
Aren’t our brains fascinating? I’m hoping the above gives you all hope. Why? Bc I know what it’s like to feel foggy brained & “done.” But I also know that stuff we’ve experienced is in there somewhere. And it’s not just in there, it’s in there in its entirety, just like all the words of a song. If you’re frustrated, I get it…but don’t stress. It’ll come back!
