I have a terrible memory.  I often tell my sister that I probably have some sort of condition that makes me forget.  She tells me I just don’t pay attention.  (Side note: My sister went to law school so she’s a little off her rocker.)

I use everything I can to help myself remember and my family blog often has three sentence posts that start with “Don’t ever forget…”  There are so many things that I want to remember now that I’m a mom.  My son gave me a Don’t-ever-forget moment last night when he was fighting sleep.  I went in to his bedroom for one more hug and to give him a dirty parental look when he hugged me and asked “Mom, do skeletons have penises?” It was as if he’d been lying awake that whole time just pondering that.  I ran in my room and wrote it down.

My notes work but not as well as all those incidental memory triggers that surround me daily.  The feel of wool on my skin reminds me of my mother hugging goodbye as she left for work in the morning.  A clear blue sky in September reminds me, always, of that dreadful day twelve years ago now.

Music is an obvious trigger but it’s sneaky and it can surprise me anywhere because music, unlike scratchy wool (thankfully) is everywhere.  In the middle of the store, I am suddenly reminiscing about choreographing dances as little girl.

Driving in the car, the radio makes me cringe at my dramatic, emotional bulldozing teenage years.

As I walk by a house with a party in the backyard, I smile because this was the soundtrack to which my husband and I fell in love.

At a concert, I have visions of driving around the islands of Hawaii, 4 months out from giving birth to our first child and all the hope and terror we felt about that.

When a playlist for my children is chosen as dinner music, a certain song helps me recall the first few months of being a parent.

These particular songs found a home in my brain during huge turning points in my life. I have a few unwelcome houseguests also, good thing they’re funny.  (Try not to smirk at these lyrics.)  Jen and Kristi, I dedicate this next song to you.  Thanks for hosting Twisted Mix Tape Tuesday.