Pavlov was a genius.

I am sure you have heard at some point during your education about Pavlov. Pavlov was the guy who did the experiments with dogs. You remember, he would ring a bell and then give the dogs food. He did that everyday for a while and then one day he rang the bell but didn't give the dogs any food. Pavlov found that the bell induced the dog to salivate even if there was no food around. This was later called conditioning.

We all know about conditioning. We all are reminded of people or places when we hear a certain song on the radio, or when we smell certain smells.

When I was little, I had a Nintendo. One of my favorite games ever was Super Mario Bros. 2. I would come home from school, put my favorite rap tape in (Mc Lyte) and start playing. I did this everyday for a long time. Years later, I went to pick up my girlfriend from her house and there it was -- a Nintendo with my favorite game. She wasn't ready yet, so I asked her little brother if I could play for a minute. As soon as I turned it on and started playing, I could hear the MC Lyte tape in my head. I could sing every word from memory. I hadn't listened to that tape for years and right now I couldn't say more than a few lines.

I had another girlfriend who used to wear Dr. Pepper lip balm everyday. When I say everyday I really mean it. It was quite nice because if I was ever in need of some tasty lip lubricant, I could count on the fact that she had some.



We dated for a long time. It is the longest relationship that I ever had. We would kiss and I could always taste the Dr. Pepper lip balm.

I love kissing. Kissing is probably the one most enjoyable thing ever. Something I doubt I will ever get tired of. I love the way it makes you feel; the tingles up and down my spine, the affection and love that is shown and received. It's wonderful. If you haven't had the chance to do it then I would suggest you find someone and give it a try. I promise you will not regret it.

I was on my mission, in the MTC when I receive a care package from my now ex-girlfriend that I left behing to go serve. When you ask what someone needs on a mission you naturally think of what you would wish you had. Included in the package was Dr. Pepper chapsick.

As a missionary you don't want to be reminded of the pleasures of home nor do you want to be distracted from the work at hand. I promptly put the lip balm away in a little box and vowed not to use it.

Later when I had a few months left on my mission. My ex had wrote me a dear john about a year and a half before. One day during scripture study, I had my little box of pens out and was reading. The little box also contained the Dr. Pepper lip balm. While I was reading and pondering, I noticed my lips were chapped and I wished I had some chapstick. I looked up into my box and saw it. I thought to myself, "Will it really be that big of a deal? I haven't even seen her in years now. Plus my lips are chapped." Thus I justified breaking my promise that I wouldn't ever open it.

I tore open the wrapping and applied the lubricant. The sweet taste of the lip balm triggered a physical response in my brain that turned on all of the "kissing" feelings. I shivered and shook and goosebumps travelled up and down my spine. I felt just like I was kissing her again. I could smell her and had a vivid image of her in my brain. I exhaled.

I felt kind of guilty. Thankfully, that was the closest I got to kissing someone on my mission.

Pavlov was a genius.

Links about Pavlov...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivan_Pavlov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditioning