My wife asked me a question about our 5 year-old’s MRSA condition on his knee this morning. I had no idea what she was talking about. I, in a span of a few heartbeats, dismissed the tone of her voice – sincere with a touch of concern – and said something akin to asking if she was kidding. She was not. When it comes to our (the whole family’s) health, my wife – the doting nurse she is – can be quite knowledgable and remembers most everything medical history related.
So when I slumped back in my chair, trying (real hard) to remember the incident of my firstborn son going to the doctor in great pain and getting what looked like a MRSA infection taken care of, I hit a wall. Nothing. My mind was a complete blank to that particular point in my life. Granted, I’ve never really had the best long-term memory around, but have always maintained that I get by and recall the important points. Seems like my brain needs a good tuning!
Part of me thinks all this has something to do with selective memory, or something like it. I tend to remember the best of times and regard the less-than-ideal, or just plain bad moments as mentally trivial – Meaning that I tend not to linger on a memory or moment in life too long as the stress associated with them tend to make me physically sick. In short, I focus on the good things in life and try not letting the negative stuff get to me.
But then why would I mentally – subconsciously – deem a fairly mild visit to my child’s doctor due to an oversized pimple? I have no clear answer for that.
Maybe this is in part why I generally think of the best outcome of any given situation. Call me an optimist, yet I don’t regard myself in that vein, but rather a school of thought in line with “this too shall pass.”
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As I had to go suddenly, I didn’t have a chance to finish my entry. Even now, almost a full day later, I feel drained, yet a bit hopeful that things will work out in the end.
Just not yet. But soon.
The Journal of Jeremiah 