It was an ordinary day. Just finished cleaning up all the branches that had fallen down or were broken off the trees in the front of our house during a recent storm. As I headed to the garage my wife yelled to me, asking if I had loaded all the used clothing she had placed at the back door for me to load into the car. Well...no! There sat the many bags of used clothing...untouched! I guess I was just having one of my many senior moments! Are you like me? Do you forget birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, loading things into the car or just bringing a bottle of milk home from the store after you got gas? I know...we all forget things, but I sometimes go overboard. I tend to lose my train of thought at times or something may slip my mind. And...this isn't just once in a while! It seems to be all the time. Most times it is just plain forgetfulness. I think to myself...how could I have forgotten that? How could I have forgotten something that I was asked to do 5 minutes ago? I see a good friend and for the life of me I can't remember his or her name. You do that? All the time?? Things and thoughts seem to go in one ear and out the other. Passes right through my mind! Some people call it a senior moment...but, what do you call it when it happens all the time? I can remember when my mom would say that to me when I was in grade school. But, it has progressed quite a bit since when I was in elementary school. What can I do to correct it? I read that according to some studies, walking through doors can cause memory lapses. Psychologists believe that this is because when people walk through a door from one room to another, the transition indicates to the brain that the scene has changed and all the information gathered in the previous room or scenario is no longer needed. Whether this is true or not may be up for debate, but reality is that the "forgetting" kicks in at varying stages of life and at different degrees for everyone. The challenge for all of us is that we don't fall into the trap of making "I forgot" an excuse. We need to take responsibility for our actions if we are reasonably cognitive. Obviously, with dementia and other debilitating sicknesses, a state of cognizance can seem to simply evaporate into the atmosphere. For the general populace which is functioning normally, however, it should never become an out! Own up to it when it happens. Recognize that senior moments actually happen for everyone. Acknowledge that you are not always the best listener and you had your mind on something entirely different than what was being talked about. Use reminders to help sort out your busy schedule and prioritize those important occasions to avoid embarrassing blunders of forgetfulness. Perhaps I should make it my goal to begin forgetting the things I should forget and remember the things I shouldn't. Forget those unkind words someone directed my way. Forgive the individual and move on with life. Remind yourself to be careful of the words you speak. Remember to focus on thanking others for the kindness they've shown. Work at cutting out the distractions and concentrate on the message others are trying to convey. A willingness to say, "I'm sorry, I forgot," will go a long way in reconciling your relationships! Not having to say it will help even more! Now...if only I can remember what I just wrote! I plan to try and become a better listener which may in turn make me a better writer! But then again...what did I just write about? It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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