Wednesday, March 28, 2012

"Remember me to Harold Square, whoever he is!"

Getting older is neither easy nor pretty.  The graying hair, wrinkles, and aches and pains in general are pretty demanding.  But the worst thing about getting older is becoming forgetful.

It doesn't come on quickly, but rather sneaks up when you least expect it.  You may set something down, walk away for a second, and discover that you have no idea where you put it!  Sure, it happens to all of us from time to time, but as we age, it becomes imperative that we don't begin to look like doddering fools.  
Perhaps it's just that we don't feel the need to pay attention any longer.  after all, we've participated in life for decades, and now it's nice to sit on the sidelines once in a while.

There are countless remedies on the market for "memory loss", and people are making millions selling them.  But is it really memory loss?  Suppose you can remember back to things that happened in grade school, so clearly that even the feel of the sun on your skin, and the gentle breeze that was present are in that memory?  Suppose you can remember a poem, or the words to a song from 50 years ago; is your mind gone?

The mind is a strange critter.  Sometimes the stupidest things just stick in it, while things that you once considered important, are quickly forgotten.  I can name the original members of Kiss (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss), but I can't tell you where I left my phone.  (I just checked, it's on the front seat of my truck)
I think as we age, small things just don't matter any longer.  When we were younger, and involved in  work, and raising a family, our minds had to be focused every minute of the day.  Now, not so much.
It's not Alzheimer's, but a long awaited case of "I just don't give a shits".  We're not old, we're just maturing.  If you got this far without losing your place, and having to start over, congratulations!
If you accidentally forget that you let the dog outside, and he wakes you up barking at 2AM, it's nothing to worry about.  If you forget to wear pants to the grocery, you'll figure it out when you reach for your wallet.
We're not getting older, we're getting better!

Now where did I put that damn phone again??

1 comment:

  1. ...and it is so entertaining for your spouse to watch. :-)

    ReplyDelete