Nadia’s Theme and the Mandela Effect: Why Our Memories Play Tricks on Us
I remember Nadia Comăneci. More specifically, I remember the music. That soft piano theme begins, and somewhere in my mind Nadia is suddenly back on the television. Montreal. 1976. Gymnastics. Perfect scores. Depending on your age, you may first…
The Sound of the Midnight Train: Reflections on Melancholy, Memory, and Growing Older
Melancholy. What a strange word. It can mean longing, reflection, sadness, the memory of times past. In living my life, it is not a word I have given much thought. Yet here I am, in the midst of what I suppose would be called melancholy. There is a train…
The Covered Wagon in 1931: How My Grandmother’s Journey Bridged Two Different Worlds
One small brush with mortality can pull open the drawers of the mind and shove every hidden emotion into the room. So here we go. Driving today, looking at the view rising ahead along the highway, I found my thoughts coming fast and furious. No, I was…