E2: Wedding On a Ranch In Wyoming; S9: Backdoor Betty

How I shoegazed myself through doing my laundry, infidelity, and being a blacked-out best man for my brother's wedding in... it was actually 1991, but who's counting?Sometimes I think everything I wanted to say about an episode is already inside the episode. This is one of those times.So instead, I’ll just leave you with a thought.Every time you remember something, your brain doesn’t simply retrieve a perfect recording from storage. It rebuilds the memory in the present, using pieces of what happened, pieces of what you believe now, and pieces of what you’re feeling in that moment. Then, when the memory is put back, it’s subtly different than before.A completely harmless example: imagine you’re convinced your grandmother hated broccoli because she always pushed it away at dinner. Then someone reminds you she actually had braces for a while and raw vegetables hurt her teeth. Suddenly every memory of those dinners changes. The scenes are the same. The meaning isn’t.That was a silly example.Usually the memories that matter most aren’t about vegetables. They’re the ones your brain tagged as important because they might help keep you alive. Our brains are constantly searching for danger, then trying to recognize anything that even vaguely resembles it in the future. That’s an extraordinary survival strategy—but it also means that some memories become louder than others.So as you listen, pay close attention.If there’s any trauma in this story……you might miss it.***If you think you picked out the trauma—or the most significant one—leave it in the comments below. Someone’s going to win a PRIZE!Then you can share it with your friends… see if you all come up with the same answer. Extra points!!