Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Triggered Memories


So I was at work, Verizon Wireless, when I looked out the front doors and spotted a silver Corvette.  Now most people might say something along the lines of, "Wow, that is a nice car."  Not me.  I instead reflected the same memories that every silver Corvette evokes in me, and that is memories of Bruce Boxleitner in Scarecrow and Mrs. King.   This was a TV show produced in the 1980's that centered on a plot about a spy and an ordinary house wife working together as a team.  It just so happens that Lee Stetson, aka Scarecrow, drove a silver Corvette throughout most of the series.  Now because this show aired when I was a small child, it may seem strange that I would have such a strong memories of it.  In fact, my mother will corroborate that I did watch this show when it aired, and I did indeed have a crush on Bruce Boxleitner at the ripe age of 4 or 5.  I do have to admit, the crush lives on!  These are the thoughts that are running through my mind at work, and all because there was a particular car parked out front.

Memories are crazy in that they can be triggered by strange sensations or experiences.  Other vehicles that I encounter give my mind different reactions.  For example, there are several models of trucks and a particular year of the cavalier in blue that raises my anxiety and blood pressure levels.  Just the sight of these vehicles takes me back to horrible relationships that have since thankfully ended.  Different odors are another very potent memory trigger.  There can be very pleasant triggers such as family dinners from specific foods that smell like your mommas home cooking or a great cologne that was worn by someone you love.  There can also be unpleasant reactions to odors such as specific scents from a horrible accident or the ever noticeable "hospital smell."  Our brains are like huge file cabinets that have been indexed with things that only it knows.  The smells, sights, and other experiences that trigger memories are like keywords found in a database. 

What crazy triggers have caused your mind to uncover memories?

3 comments:

  1. When I read 'Bruce Boxleitner' all I could think of was Babylon 5. He plays the commander of the space station and he ROCKS!!!! Oh, and he was in Tron, and so was Peter Jurasik, who played Ambassador Londo Mollari in Babylon 5 with Bruce. And thinking of Tron makes me think of the sequel that's coming out in December, Tron:Legacy. God I heart sci-fi and the 80s.

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  2. Or you could think along the lines of The Gambler. I know that Babylon 5 was his biggest role ... Even gaining him an action figure. However, there is no real Boxleitner for me without the Corvette or him riding a horse, which he does even in several episodes of Scarecrow and Mrs. King.

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  3. An action figure AND a teddy bear that was on sale in the Bab5 gift shop. Bruce launched it out the airlock. Good times, good times.

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