Tag / Cognition

by Michael

My Blog: Forgivable Errors

My oldest son was looking at a picture on my bookshelf. He incorrectly said that his grandmother had changed. She looks different, he said.

I told him that he was looking at my aunt, not my mother. They favor one another if you look at certain pictures from certain times, but they don’t look alike really.

Bryce made a small error. His brain is learning how to size things up, how to take shortcuts, how to see things that are there even when they’re not altogether present. His error was forgivable.

You’ll always name the wrong person if they’re not the one in the picture. You’ll always see something through the eyes you’ve seen them. Until you learn how to observe, how to envision, and how to see.

by Michael

My Blog: While Sleep-Deprived

I was groggy, unrested, and driving the other day. It had been a wearying night that ended an even longer few days.

I attempted to change lanes on my way to work and upon hearing a car honking, I swerved to my original lane. No one was hurt. No accident happened. It was my reaction time that was suspect.

The horn was from another car in an entirely different lane. But I reacted, thinking I veered. Of course, then, I did veer. Afterward, I kept thinking that there are things to refrain from when you’re sleep deprived. There are things to do more slowly when you’re sleep deprived.

When I’m unrested, I’m subject to reacting. When I’m tired, I’m subject to the short terseness that doesn’t help. If I want to help, if I want to be kind, I need to rest so that I’m not flinching and jerking at horns even when they come from people in my face.