For the last few days I have been pondering – and quite amazed, really – about how powerful our minds are.  What do I mean?  Well, never mind that our BRAINS keep our hearts going, make sure we breathe, etc.  But my focus has been more on the fact that so many things can trigger reactions in us.  Wow, I am not making sense……

For example, it totally amazes me that a certain smell can trigger very real memories.  Many peeps tell me when they smell cookies baking it reminds them clearly – vividly –  of a memory from their childhood.  For me its garlic; whenever I smell garlic I think of my Mom making a pasta/olive oil/garlic meal we called “Macaroni I Owe Ya”.  Phonetically, it sounds very Italian, but it really was very cheap to make.  My mom would laugh that us kids liked it so much because, as she would bemoan, “I only made it when money was tight!”  (Get the “I owe ya” part?)  But wow, yummy.  So ANYWAY, that image of her making it (which really was when I was REALLY young), is very vivid when I smell garlic.

And some people, when they get home, even as adults, are “conditioned” by their minds to do certain things.  Like, kids who usually had a snack and drink waiting for them after school often are thirsty or have the munchies when they get home.

Another thing that I’ve noticed is this – when you need to go potty, you say “okay, better go”.  No big deal, you have it under control.  But for me, the very moment I stand in front of the toilet, about to undo my pants for the deed, I REALLY REALLY need to go.  It’s like my mind is already telling my body “hey, you get to go now, it’s gonna be great, and it’s about time”.  The urgency meter goes WAY up at that point.  So, the few moments that I am fiddling with my button and zipper is HORRIBLE, because I am physically fighting my mind’s control over my body, who thinks “hey, let’s let this thing go!” and I am like, “NO MY PANTS ARE STILL ON!!”  I have tried to “trick” my mind, but dang it, it never seems to work.  So, like thousands before me, I do the “Oh my gosh I am gonna pee my pants” dance, hoping that will muddle the mind impulses long enough to allow my pants to be removed…….

I shared this verbally with D, and she laughed at me.  Hmmmmm.  My intellect must intimidate her…….

Gina OUT!