Try to Remember

I make no claims to being psychic. Personally, I believe that everyone has an instinct which is sometimes more accurate than others, and I've watched enough suspense thrillers to know that when someone says, "I've got a funny feeling..." you should always trust it. I do, however, have one special ability that falls comfortably into the realm of the semi-psychic. It involves music... oldies, to be more specific. When something bad is happening, or soon to be happening, I will be haunted by one song until the issue is resolved. Case in point, when I was in my previous long-term relationship with a man who (in retrospect) I never really loved (mostly he just annoyed me and made me feel terrible), "What's Love Got to Do With It" played on the radio every time I listened to music for one entire year. Seriously. It didn't matter where I was - my car, at home, online, in the grocery store - Tina Turner was singing my woes at every turn for 365 days. It may sound like I'm bullshitting you, but I promise that I am speaking the complete and honest truth.

For whatever reason, last month was really hard on Christopher and me. I'm not sure what the issue was - the stress of unemployment, the pressure of our anniversaries, the constant contact that comes from living in a small studio - but we fought quite a bit. In case you hadn't guessed, we hardly ever fight. I mean, almost never. So, to come full circle with this story, the entire month of September I had one very strange, obscure song, from a musical which I have NEVER seen, stuck in my head. The only time I had ever heard this song was in my 7th grade choir, when I auditioned to sing it for our Broadway Medley concert. The song is called "Try to Remember," and these are the lyrics:

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow.

Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
That dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
That love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow.

Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
Although you know the snow will follow.
Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
Without a hurt the heart is hollow.
Deep in December, it's nice to remember,
The fire of September that made us mellow.
Deep in December, our hearts should remember
And follow.

Now, obviously these lyrics aren't terribly impressive or interesting, really. But I caught myself singing this song in the shower almost every morning for the past 30 days. If not in the shower, I promise you I was humming it while walking down the street. Sure, this may not seem like such a big deal, but "Try to Remember" is basically about remembering the Septembers when life was easier, and 'no one weeped except the willow.' I mean, that's poignant! That's almost as impressive as "Don't Dream it's Over" (Crowded House) randomly playing on the radio every time I'm about to give up on something that I care about.

Sure, this doesn't qualify as a super power. It's not even that helpful, except in retrospect, but I think it's pretty neat!