I find memory and the workings of the mind fascinating. I guess that is why I was a psch major (although my friends will tell you it is because I am crazy).
Anyway memory…interesting. I find it odd that I can remember all of the words and the tune to the theme song for “Land of the Lost,” But I cannot remember my 5th grade teacher’s name.
So yesterday I was driving in the car with my son. We were listening to NPR and for whatever reason; the voice of Elmo came on the air. There were two strong reactions to hearing that voice. My son was delighted. He has pleasant happy memories of Elmo. He was less than pleased when I immediately snapped off the station.
I had a very powerful reaction.
Several years ago, my family had to take my son up to Queens in New York for a series of tests and “procedures”. Not only was it a medically challenging day, it was shall we say culturally challenging. New York, NY is not my kind of town. Jenn had to force me to go beyond the hospital and our hotel room. Then on the last day of our trip, we got news that my sister-in-law was involved in a catastrophic car accident. We were in a local mall at the time. Ethan was ridding a carousel right next to the food court. It was right next to a Bourbon Chicken stand.
I say all this to tie back to Elmo. The whole trip, the only thing we could do to pacify Ethan was playing his Elmo CD, over and over and over again. That was perhaps the worst week of my life. Now every time I hear that monster’s voice, it is like a bad movie flashback. I can smell the bourbon chicken and hear the carousel.
So I snapped off the radio. And that was that.
