In today’s world of virtual reality a person who has never been to the beach (hard to imagine for some but seriously their are people who haven’t) can go. I smelled a candle the other day that does exactly smell like the beach (Kramer they made it possible to smell good) and combined with a virtual reality video minus the burning sun with a possible suntan you are at the beach.

This may seem weird but for some stupid reason I am able now more than ever to imagine myself anywhere anytime without virtual reality. I have had so many experiences that if someone describes something I can put myself in a similar situation and very vividly at that. So much so my body starts reacting like it is there and I didn’t even get out of my seat. However now there is a down side to it. In my old age they are getting jumbled and mixed up and becoming several screens playing simultaneously. Frankly it freaks me out because my language processing doesn’t work as fast. So words don’t match the screen in my mind at that second. It is like my brain has a seven second delay audio track.

Let me give you an example, someone asks me about first dates. Immediately, I think of a couple not just one including the movie 100 Dates or first dates within movies. I think of the time I sat and ate at Olive Garden which makes me think of pasta, then it makes me think of my pasta, and at the same time I think of Glee and their pasta restaurant Breadsticks and a first dates Glee people had there than I think of the only time one of my co workers watched Glee with me and my friend, then I think how you shouldn’t order pasta because it can be messy, and I think of the time in camp I had two campers and they would grab at my shirt sleeve with their messy pasta hands, but wait pasta can’t be all bad think of the time of Lady and the Tramp, and then you start to think of first kisses…….. see how fast these screens can combine and soon your trying to sort out which screen is what and did the dog end up with messy pasta paws and what song did they sing again? It is a mess and it has gotten worse with age. If you know me you have seen it increase in intensity. Now I can imagine dog breath and my pasta sauce simmering at the same time but I can’t pin down the table or chair because they are all morphed into one. The more it occurs when I actually can separate scenarios I get more detailed and am starting to recount everything to the point I don’t even need to step foot there or have a similar smell to remind me I can place myself there. My mind has screwed me up it can take me places I have never been and it feels like I have been there. I am serious, I have never been in a space suit or a rocket ship but I can imagine what that would feel like so vividly down to the helmet because have you ever been to a playground and seen those plastic semi circle spots wondering what in the heck they are there for now I know pretending you are on mars, combine that with a trip to the aviation museum, add a little bit of hospital surgery room, the smell of my brothers machine shop. I think I have the imaginary down. Granted I have never been in space but I can let my imagination run wild. For this reason my mother stopped having me watch scary movies because I would have nightmares of these things but these days I don’t need to be asleep these images just pop into my mind. Some you want to stay forever and some you want to separate and be very clear about what happened, how it happened and when. I don’t know what to say but I apologize for mixed up thoughts and images along with missed matched words. Sometimes poo gets everywhere. Unfortunately you can’t wipe your butt or your mind of nasty things without touching the top edge of your poo hole with toilet paper. So make sure the information you gain is worth keeping forever.

So where am I going with this I think virtual reality is great but really there is nothing like personal experience. It gives you fulfillment and you can stop imagining and be in the moment. I can imagine space travel all I want but still I can’t say I went to mars.

-Jennie Nawrocki