>Up until about 10 years ago or so, I knew my entire class schedule from 1st period in 7th grade to 6th period in my senior year. Now, it’s all fuzzy. A few antics in college are probably the result of those lost brain cells, but hey, that’s what college is for, right?
Then again, I can remember every freaking line of the Catholic Mass. That’s what happens when you go to church every week for years on end. All those Nicene Creeds and Glories to God jammed into my subconscious. With a prompt, I could probably lead mass like a priest. The motions and words don’t have much meaning for me. I just learned it all by rote.
I am thankful for my brain, though. It’s not perfect and I am definitely not a genius, but I think it works out fairly well for me. It seems to be filled with enough common sense to stay out of sketchy dark allies and away from people who don’t conform to enough social norms.
Over the years, I think I’ve gotten more control over my thoughts. As a kid, it was tough to shut off my brain, so I could sleep. I don’t fret like I did at the age of 8. Then again, I don’t have homework anymore.
Bigger things keep me up at night, like people losing their jobs, nightmares about zombies, and why nothing has really changed for me in the past 5 years except my contact information. The difference is that I know the trick to making my brain shut off for the night. And no, it’s not found in a pill or a bottle of wine. The trick is to think about something else.