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Mind Games
Jan. 29th, 2016 01:52 pmRecently I have been seeing various articles on several subjects which made me thing about how the mind works and how my brain is not your brain nor is yours anyone else brain.
Everyone on the planet has something unique about how their mind works. What works like gangbusters for one person is a total waste of time for someone else.
I know I am smart, clever, and intelligent. I have been told numerous times by a variety of people. I have to thank my parents for both my genes and my upbringing for that one. I have been accused of being an intellectual snob and I wear that proudly. I refuse to dumb myself down for others. Keep up with me or don't just don't expect me to stop thinking like I do.
My methods of organization would not work for the majority of the people on the planet. But it doesn’t really matter because it works for me and my family. It worked for me as a stage manager and I learned how to write for others so they could follow my thought process. I once tried to sit down with a director and explain how I got from the problem to the solution and after about 20 minutes he agreed with me that I could do it but he was never really going to understand how I got the solution.
I have known for years that my brain goes in different directions than how most people see a problem or a situation. I am really good at research and retention of the research. I tried to explain to Peter how I found some info for him because he couldn’t believe I found exactly what he was looking for so fast, but he stopped me about half way through because I lost him in how I did it.
There are things I can do mentally that amaze people. I have impressed various people with some of my mental skills. I have impressed people with how fast I can read and that I retain what I have read for a very long time. Can I teach anyone any of this? No, I can’t. It is just how my brain works.
There was an article I read that take notes by hand works better than typing things up because the brain has to focus more on what is being said and pick and choose the choice words because putting everything down is impossible to do by hand. I have to agree with that. By hand does cause me to focus more on the task at hand and helps me sort out the steps I need to do to get the task done.
There was another article about the importance of cursive and learning to read music to develop a fully rounded brain. That cursive activates parts of the brain that printing doesn’t. Reading music causes you to use yet another part of your brain. I can write in cursive although I have never liked it. I can read music sort of. I am glad that Caroline can read music without any problem. Her cursive could use some work but they are not teaching cursive or good handwriting in school any more assuming the kids are always going to use computers. So we are losing something here with our kids. I am lucky that Caroline’s school has music and art through out the 12 years she will be there. I know a lot of parents who have spent quite a bit of money outside of school so their children can learn these skills.
It is becoming more and more apparent that writing is necessary to keep the brain elastic. As we find ourselves more and more on our computers and tablets communicating with each other, we are losing abilities that help our brains to think in different ways.
I have a lot of notebooks. I am a bit of an office supply junkie. I love the little notebooks and the graphic pads and other forms of paper. I love pens that write smoothly. I still have some of my automatic pencils and can find lead for them but that is getting harder to find. Sharpies, I adore sharpies. I like colored pencils.
I use these things to clear my mind by writing things down. Once I dump it out of my head, I swear it gets quieter in there and allows for other thoughts and ideas to come forward. I have one notebook that is my project notebook where I toss all the ideas I have for dolls and puppets and costumes and the like. I have one notebook that I keep a running tally of what I do with my time. I have a private journal for me which I will probably ask that it and its companions be burned after I pass. I have a convention notebook for convention stuff. I have a sketchbook that I scribble in and should do more in it. And there is always a blank book or two waiting to be turned into whatever I need them to be next.
And I have this web log. Maybe not done in any form of handwriting but it is my piece of the Internet with my thoughts and feelings and adventures. Down the road someone might be interested in what I had to say. I think it will be funny to be part of someone’s PHD down the road. My mind likes that thought.
I am grateful that my mind works as quickly as it does.
Everyone on the planet has something unique about how their mind works. What works like gangbusters for one person is a total waste of time for someone else.
I know I am smart, clever, and intelligent. I have been told numerous times by a variety of people. I have to thank my parents for both my genes and my upbringing for that one. I have been accused of being an intellectual snob and I wear that proudly. I refuse to dumb myself down for others. Keep up with me or don't just don't expect me to stop thinking like I do.
My methods of organization would not work for the majority of the people on the planet. But it doesn’t really matter because it works for me and my family. It worked for me as a stage manager and I learned how to write for others so they could follow my thought process. I once tried to sit down with a director and explain how I got from the problem to the solution and after about 20 minutes he agreed with me that I could do it but he was never really going to understand how I got the solution.
I have known for years that my brain goes in different directions than how most people see a problem or a situation. I am really good at research and retention of the research. I tried to explain to Peter how I found some info for him because he couldn’t believe I found exactly what he was looking for so fast, but he stopped me about half way through because I lost him in how I did it.
There are things I can do mentally that amaze people. I have impressed various people with some of my mental skills. I have impressed people with how fast I can read and that I retain what I have read for a very long time. Can I teach anyone any of this? No, I can’t. It is just how my brain works.
There was an article I read that take notes by hand works better than typing things up because the brain has to focus more on what is being said and pick and choose the choice words because putting everything down is impossible to do by hand. I have to agree with that. By hand does cause me to focus more on the task at hand and helps me sort out the steps I need to do to get the task done.
There was another article about the importance of cursive and learning to read music to develop a fully rounded brain. That cursive activates parts of the brain that printing doesn’t. Reading music causes you to use yet another part of your brain. I can write in cursive although I have never liked it. I can read music sort of. I am glad that Caroline can read music without any problem. Her cursive could use some work but they are not teaching cursive or good handwriting in school any more assuming the kids are always going to use computers. So we are losing something here with our kids. I am lucky that Caroline’s school has music and art through out the 12 years she will be there. I know a lot of parents who have spent quite a bit of money outside of school so their children can learn these skills.
It is becoming more and more apparent that writing is necessary to keep the brain elastic. As we find ourselves more and more on our computers and tablets communicating with each other, we are losing abilities that help our brains to think in different ways.
I have a lot of notebooks. I am a bit of an office supply junkie. I love the little notebooks and the graphic pads and other forms of paper. I love pens that write smoothly. I still have some of my automatic pencils and can find lead for them but that is getting harder to find. Sharpies, I adore sharpies. I like colored pencils.
I use these things to clear my mind by writing things down. Once I dump it out of my head, I swear it gets quieter in there and allows for other thoughts and ideas to come forward. I have one notebook that is my project notebook where I toss all the ideas I have for dolls and puppets and costumes and the like. I have one notebook that I keep a running tally of what I do with my time. I have a private journal for me which I will probably ask that it and its companions be burned after I pass. I have a convention notebook for convention stuff. I have a sketchbook that I scribble in and should do more in it. And there is always a blank book or two waiting to be turned into whatever I need them to be next.
And I have this web log. Maybe not done in any form of handwriting but it is my piece of the Internet with my thoughts and feelings and adventures. Down the road someone might be interested in what I had to say. I think it will be funny to be part of someone’s PHD down the road. My mind likes that thought.
I am grateful that my mind works as quickly as it does.
