The 80s & 90s Lyric / Brain Fog Paradox

I would like to submit my brain to science for a very specific study.

We need researchers to investigate the hilarious, deeply frustrating midlife paradox where a Gen-X woman can flawlessly recite the entire opening rap to "Shoop" by Salt-N-Pepa, but will walk into her own kitchen and spend five solid minutes staring blankly at the refrigerator, completely devoid of any memory of why she went in there.

It makes absolutely zero sense. My long-term memory is a steel trap. My brain is basically a meticulously organized, color-coded filing cabinet where the lyrics to every 80s hair metal anthem and the entire script of The Breakfast Club are permanently laminated and safely stored for instant recall.

But my short-term memory? The file for "where I set my phone down thirty seconds ago" is currently on fire in a dumpster out back.

Brain fog is the uninvited guest of midlife. It is the sudden, mid-sentence disappearance of a very common noun. It is standing in the middle of the grocery store aisle trying to decode your own handwriting on a list, only to realize you forgot the one specific item you drove to the store to get.

We are operating on highly capable, incredibly experienced operating systems, but unfortunately, we just have way too many tabs open, and the system is lagging.

So the next time you find yourself standing in a room wondering what you are doing there, just pivot. Bust out a verse of Vanilla Ice to prove your hard drive is still perfectly intact, grab a snack since you are already in the kitchen anyway, and carry on.

Keep thriving.

Tracy 💗

💭 Reflection: What deeply useless piece of 80s or 90s pop culture takes up permanent real estate in your brain, while you simultaneously forget where you put your keys?