#AssociativeMemory

[rrpbyrhl-blog]

An Introduction to The Project

The “Remember Rock" Project

A Reminder of What Once Inspired an Active, Wandering Mind

My mind’s been plagued lately by the thought of re-visiting my past with the hope that I’ll re-discover parts of myself that I’ve long forgotten. But perhaps this isn’t a plague? Maybe it’s exactly what I need.

As someone who started reading at 3-years-old, creative writing was always a favorite subject of mine in school. After finishing journalism school and releasing my debut EP of original songs, I need to start writing prose again. I feel foolish for neglecting something that used to bring me such joy upon the completion of a piece but it was lost somewhere along my path toward pushing forward with my music and letting go of journalistic habits from college.

The universe is a vast place and I don’t pretend to understand its intricacies but I do believe in little signs if only because it helps me feel a little less alone when I’m walking around by myself or holed up in my house. But, after days of rattling my brain for what my new writing project should be, a little sign came my way while I was standing in the check-out line of a 7-Eleven.

I had already handed over my debit card when I looked down to see a bowl full of those inspirational word rocks that they sell to folks to use as paperweights. I pushed a few of the stones aside to uncover as many “inspirational words” as possible before the cashier rang me up… and that’s when I found my sign… which leads me to the following, brief story for flashback purposes…

When I was in the fifth or sixth grade, I wasn’t writing down all of my homework assignments for whatever reason so I’d always end up unintentionally forgetting something that needed to be done. My teachers knew I was good kid who meant well though, so my homeroom teacher and parents came up with a suggestion. I was given one of those “inspirational word” rocks with the word “REMEMBER” on it.

Back to present day…. I found a “REMEMBER” rock at the 7-Eleven, so that will be the basis of this project.

I’m not writing for an audience this time so I look forward to seeing where it goes.

(Originally posted to Instagram - https://instagram.com/p/_15msci5gY/)

[rrpbyrhl-blog]

Chocolate Milk & My Morning Routine

My sister and I drank hot chocolate milk most mornings before school for so long that I lost count of how many years the tradition lasted. Mine was typically one part Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup to two parts 2% milk warmed up to one minute and thirty seconds in the microwave. It was our equivalent to “kids coffee,” or so it would seem.

As I sit here now sipping on a warm cup of the same drink, I feel like I’ve found my new favorite comfort food. The taste reminds me of so many mornings, it’s like a movie reel of “my life in mornings: the greatest hits!” is running through my mind. Thanks Hershey’s! Thanks Chocolate! Thanks Cows!

That’s associative memory for you. A taste or a smell can be overwhelming and trigger all the senses, putting them on high alert.