Do You Ever…Forget?!

It’s no secret. We all “un-remember” things as we age. Sometimes those moments are easy to shrug off. Sometimes they can be frustrating, even rattling. Here are the five most common things people of a certain lifespan forget. Can you relate?

Why you walked into a room. This happens a lot. I’m striding purposely toward the den or bedroom and suddenly can’t remember why I’m going. I must replay the chain of thoughts that sent me on this quest. Let’s see, I was doing the laundry and then remembered I forgot to wash that shirt I was going to wear at tomorrow’s dinner, but then realized I needed… my silver bracelet! That’s why I’m heading to the bedroom! Bingo! Mystery solved. Phew.

Where you’re going in the car. Sometimes I come to this four-way intersection in town and can’t remember which road I’m taking. I get so lost in my thoughts, or listening to the latest litany of horrible news, or pondering why people still watch the Kardashians. I’ll get there and think, where am I going again? Thank God, the information quickly drops into the frontal lobe. Yes, I’m going to that little farm stand to buy bread and lemons. Again, phew.

What day of the week it is. One of the things I love about getting older is giving myself permission to be a homebody. Most days are alike, and I find that comforting. The trouble is, life can become like “Groundhog Day,” the movie where Bill Murray wakes up each morning to the same events. This can lead to inner dialogue like… Why is the garbage man here on Wednesday? That’s odd. Is this a holiday week? How did I miss the email? Is everything out in the bins? Oops, never mind. It’s Thursday—Good God, already?

Names. Ever find yourself at a party, or out to lunch and forget someone’s name, even for a second? They can even be a good friend. At home, I’ll go to address one of my sons, with this Elmer Fudd-style stammer until I hit their name “ah—Sean—Paul—Eric—Mom—I mean, Patrick.” One time I absent-mindedly called my husband, “Floyd,” the name of our cat. Randy never does that. I’m jealous. Instead, he looks at me and shakes his head. Full disclosure: I did this even when young, so can’t really blame it on the years.

A particular word. This is the most frustrating, especially when writing. Many times, I can’t bring that perfect verb up I want to use, even a common one. Instead, I put a hyphen there, and plan to fill it in. Most times it comes back, but sometimes I must get a little help from the thesaurus. It’s no wonder my thesaurus has dog ears on its dog ears. Even in conversation, I’ll have the perfect bon mot. I just can’t remember it. I’ve learned to be patient. It comes eventually—four hours later.

I’ve heard one of the reasons for ‘senior moments’ is that our brains are so full, after a lifetime of learning, the computer just needs more time to sift through the “files.”

I also think these “information-doesn’t-come-fast-enough” instances, may be a symptom of an overfed mind and not being in the moment enough. More and more it’s becoming a reminder for me to slow down.

Good to know next time I’m striding determinedly toward somewhere and don’t remember why.

Have you had this happen? Comments are always welcome and if you’d like to receive posts by email, just press here. Thank you!