It's My Brain

Like the sound of snow falling,

or the sound of the sun rising,

the thunder of your silence

overwhelms

this empty room.

I read an article about stress reactions of the brain. One of the aspects discussed was how people tend to see things in slow motion. Well, they think they see things in slow motion. What actually happens, according to the article, is the brain is so focused, it works like a slow motion camera and takes many more frames per second than it does during normal brain activity. So, you see each frame in real time and that slows the action down because there are so many more pictures of the action that took place. Not only that but it turns out that many of your other sensory perceptions are in an altered state. Hearing decreases in favor of visual acuity.

Things are not always what they seem. Think of yourself as you were when you were forty, then look in the mirror. If you are forty one this is not a big deal, for some of the others of us this is a very big deal, over or under. 

I like to think of myself as a good communicator but when I explain things to my children or grandchildren they 

just look at me with a face that can only be described as "in pain". Surely there must be something I am good at.

That is where Charley, my dog enters the conversation. He thinks I am great. He has convinced me of it. Everything I do suits him just fine. Well, some of the things could be a little faster.

This is the season of dreams. It is for me anyway. I can still get that feeling I did when I was a kid that something magical is going to happen any time now. It really is, and everything is going to be OK.

Herb Ratliff, December 1, 2011, All Rights Reserved.