That Helpful Attic

There are certain scenes and smells that evoke a flood of memories for me. A whiff of Camel cigarettes will bring back "smoke 'em if you've got 'em" Army days. The way a questioner's head is tilted or some shoes are tied will trigger memories from other events. With all of those ghosts that rattle around in the attic of our minds, it is surprising that we can get anything done and yet sometimes those seemingly disconnected memories will help us make important connections and thus facilitate our reasoning. I can see a minor gesture and know that the speaker is not quite confident - my mind provides plenty of precedents - or hear a combination of examples and know that they are meant to conceal and not make a point. "How did you know that was going to turn out that way?" a less experienced person might ask. When you observe carefully and have a helpful attic, it's not always that difficult.