For some reason, this 4th of July got me thinking about how important music is in my ability to access fond memories.
In the morning I put on the Allman Brothers Band: A decade of hits, 1969-1979 for a trip down memory lane, and it was quite effective!
The Allman Brothers and the Grateful Dead remind me the most of my early college days, which is strange because I did not own any of their albums or listen to them all that often back then.
Now I love to listen to them loud and reminisce. I seem to have developed a wild streak in my 50’s which I don’t remember having in my 20’s…..hmmmmm, go figure. Could it be the recent concussion?
Then, in the evening I heard all the old patriotic favorites, God Bless America, Stars & Stripes Forever, all those songs that bring back very early memories. I was reminded of being first string flute in my junior high band, and how much pressure I felt to play my flute solos flawlessly. That tight feeling in my gut returned. Would I be able to play my part correctly?
Music seems to work on our brains much like certain smells. It seems to activate unique parts of the brain that evoke amazingly powerful memories of very specific times and feelings about our lives. I find it quite poignant at times.
