Associated Memories

Wordsworth writes in Book XI about the death of his father. He remembers:
"And afterwards, the wind and sleety rain,
And all the business of the elements,
The single sheep, and the one blasted tree,
And the bleak music of that old stone wall,
The noise of wood and water, and the mist..."
"That in this later time, when storm and rain
Beat on my roof at midnight, or by day
When I am in the woods, unknown to me
The workings of my spirit thence are brought."

He remembers a scene that reminds him of the time around his father's death. Whenever he sees these same things throughout his life, he is brought back to the death of his father.

In my own life I have a memory somewhat like that. I remember being young with my brother sister and dad. We were in a mall and he bought us ice cream cones. I had mint chocolate chip. From that day on that was my favorite ice cream. Until recently I did not realize that it was not the flavor I liked. It was being with my dad. He divorced my mom when we were quite young (I was 2). He was in the Army and so he was never around. He was in Germany and then in Korea for a long while. And then in other states far from us. When we did get to see him they were special times to me. I was saw daddy's girl before he left and I always felt a strong connection with my dad.
My birthday was last weekend and my husband bought mint chocolate chip ice cream for me. Having the ice cream brought me back to that day in the mall having a cone of ice cream with Dad.
I like other ice cream flavors better than mint chocolate chip, but whenever I have it I am brought back. Sort of reminds me of that Kenny Chesney country song "I Go Back." He sings about every time he hears certain song or eats certain things he is reminded of different experiences of his childhood.