Use it or lose it

VIEWPOINT

By RALPH HARDIN

Evening Times Editor

My recent trip down memory lane by perusing the pages of my old high school journal really opened up my eyes about how much stuff I used to know how to do. I mean, I took (and made good grades in) Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry and Calculus. There are certain things that, it seems, once you learn them, your body and mind doesn’t “unlearn” them. Riding a bicycle is one of the more common examples. And I think it’s true. When the pandemic first hit back in 2020, my daughter and I bought bicycles to ride around because, well, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. And even though I hadn’t ridden a bicyle in at least 15 years (and she hadn’t ridden one in probably 5) we both hopped up on our bikes and after a few wobbly seconds, we were cruising the mean streets of Old Marion in style.

There are a lot of things like that, where even though I haven’t used a particular set of skills, if I jump back into it, it’s like my brain goes through a quick “file search” and I’m good to go.

It turns out that Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry and Calculus are not among those things…

See VIEWPOINT, page A15 VIEWPOINT

From page A4

My recent trip down memory lane by perusing the pages of my old high school journal really opened up my eyes about how much stuff I used to know how to do. I mean, I took (and made good grades in) Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry and Calculus. There are certain things that, it seems, once you learn them, your body and mind doesn’t “unlearn” them.

Riding a bicycle is one of the more common examples. And I think it’s true.

When the pandemic first hit back in 2020, my daughter and I bought bicycles to ride around because, well, there wasn’t a whole lot to do. And even though I hadn’t ridden a bicyle in at least 15 years (and she hadn’t ridden one in probably 5) we both hopped up on our bikes and after a few wobbly seconds, we were cruising the mean streets of Old Marion in style.

There are a lot of things like that, where even though I haven’t used a particular set of skills, if I jump back into it, it’s like my brain goes through a quick “file search” and I’m good to go.

It turns out that Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry and Calculus are not among those things…

That daughter I mentioned above was taking Chemistry I at ASU Mid-South online at the beginning of the school year.

Back in the day, I was a Chremistry whiz. I knew the Periodic Table, I knew all the cool formulas for breaking down chemicals, all the “x1” over “y2” and divided by Avogadro’s Number or whatever, but when she came to me for help one night, it became quite clear that all of that had somehow left my brain over the past 30 years. I helped her out last year with some geometry that was still lingering in one ofthe wrinkles of my mind, but I was of no use to her in the Chemistry department. I gave it a quick look, expecting to go, “Oh, here’s what you do…”

Nope. Nothing. It was all just a bunch of numbers and letters and little Greek symbols and such and…

I’m getting a little PTSD just thinking about it.

So, here’s a little advice. If you know it, use it, because you too might have kids, and hey, she made a 30 on the ACT. She’ll figure it out… probably.