While I often walk in to a room since having children and forget why I am there, I recently had to admit a serious overall decline in my short-term memory. Worse yet, I had to openly admit it to several friends, because it involved lending something to someone and then forgetting whom I lent it to.
The email announcing and acknowledging my decline, and begging for any help in regaining some foothold over events past went went something like this:
“Dear Friends - This is one of those instances when I have a vague recollection of something and nothing else. I can attribute this to many things: small children, too much alcohol, not enough sleep. The potential reasons run the gamut. In the end, I simply have to ask the question and see if anyone can answer it…
I vaguely recall lending someone my video camera. It may have been on Memorial Day weekend. Not really sure. Were any of you the lucky recipients? I wanted to see if I could get it back at some point. I went to get it over the weekend to tape the girls acting like dragons and scaring everyone. And then, it hit me that I have no recollection of where it landed. Please help.”
Now, this is pathetic, but true. Even better, a friend came forward to say that she had it, but based on who it turned out to be, the date of the video camera hand-off was nowhere near Memorial Day. It had to be early May based on the last time I saw her. And so it goes… time passes and I have no awareness of it; things happen and I have limited memory of them.
Luckily, I remember who my friends are and so I know who to ask to help me find the way back. In this moment I realize that, without them and my family, all time would look more or less the same when looking backwards.
