How are neural pathways set? And why do some take almost instantly while others never seem to take?
What makes me wonder about this is the weirdest thing. When we first moved into this apartment, I put a large storage cabinet against the far left wall in the dining room. The next day, a friend whose advice I greatly value told me I had to switch it with the china cabinet.
This meant moving the storage cabinet to just inside the dining area wall, right off the kitchen, while moving the china cabinet over to the left. I moved them. I nearly cried just thinking about it, because after two months of packing and days of unpacking, the thought of unloading and moving this big cabinet was enough to break my heart.
It was loaded with everything from two drawers of files, to blankets and towels and office supplies, all of which had to be removed and replaced after the cabinet was moved. But I did it.
The point is, that cabinet sat against the far left wall for one day, maybe two. Now, two months later, whenever I go to get anything from that cabinet? I walk right past it to the far left wall. Right past it!
In other words, the neural pathway that told me where that cabinet was? Formed immediately and took well! But the new map? The new location of that cabinet, even though as large as the cabinet is, as highly visible and much more convenient to the kitchen, that pathway obviously has difficulty imbedding itself in my brain.
Margaret Jean 