Have you ever been in the car on the way somewhere, and just before you get there you hear a song that you just can't get out of your head?Then all day long you find yourself humming bits and pieces of that song?!
I did some checking - and according to Prof. James Kellaris of the University of Cincinnati College of Business, that's called a "cognative itch."
Continuing, he says that "certain songs have properties that are analogous to histamines that make our brain itch. The only way to scratch a cognitive itch is to repeat the offending melody in our minds."
I'm having one of those days today. Only, it wasn't a song that got stuck in my head: It was Dad!
I was running a little behind schedule, hustling to work, and heard a song (okay, so it was a song that started it) that got my mind wandering off in thoughts of Dad. Nothing specific. Just a memory of days gone by.
None-the-less, it stuck with me. I made calls to customers, and thought (as well as talked) about Dad. I'd get an e-mail and think about Dad. I talked on the phone some more... Dad. Ate lunch... Dad.
It appears that some days are just going to be like that.
I think about him every day in different ways. Sometimes it's a ball-game on TV; an episode of NCIS or CSI; or a conversation with a co-worker, customer, family member or even stranger. Whichever one it is... they all hit me like a ton of bricks!
I'm probably not the only one either. Trish, as well as my brothers and sisters, our spouses & children, Dad's close friends & fellow pastors... probably even a few of you. I'm sure those thoughts sneak up on many of us!
They sneak up on me in waves of emotion. Waves that, even though they may bring tears, feel awesome because they keep me remembering! I love to remember! Memories that are so sweet! I can see his captivating smile everywhere! Not because of pictures I see - but because the memory of that smile is so strong!
Furthermore, Kellaris says there are very few ways to get rid of a cognative itch. "Replacement strategies rarely work, because as we search our memories for a replacement tune, we're likely to come up with another", he admitted.
I guess as I think about it, it's not a bad thing... in fact, give me a lifetime of "cognative itches."
I want to keep this song stuck in my head forever!
God Bless,
John:)