Photo Credit: © Can Stock Photo / OLJensa
The monotony of these days is occasionally broken by outstanding moments. Some memories are personal. I can recall the exact spot on the road on which I was driving when I heard on the radio that a second plane had slammed into the World Trade Center, and that it was an attack, not an accident. I remember the way a giant flag was draped over the field four months later at the National College Football Championship when Ohio State beat Miami. I recall the fear and excitement in my gut when I proposed to my wife. I remember the day of the week when I received the phone call that my father had lost his battle with cancer. It was a Wednesday.
I call these “Goosebump Moments.”
These unforgettable moments cause the senses to tingle, or punch us in the gut. Time slows or even stands still for a moment. Most times, we feel goosebumps when we are either cold or scared. It is an automatic response from our hairy ancestors thousands of years ago. Back then, thanks to the process of horripilation, muscles contracted and forced the hair straight up. This made the body appear bigger to animals that wanted to eat us, and helped trap an insulating layer of air when we were cold. Now we wear clothing and aren’t always watching for animals that want to eat us. A lot of our ancestral hair is gone, but we still feel the goosebumps.