Thursday 1 May 2008

Forget About It

I saw U, Me aur HUM just a few days back & it has put the heebie-jeebies into me. The protagonist in the movie has Alzheimer’s and most of what happens to her strikes a chord in me. Ok, maybe I haven’t forgotten my wedding anniversary or where my house is located but I am prone to forgetting just about everything else. I forget where I keep my keys, I forget where I ‘hide’ money, I forget that I have kept something on the stove, I forget to do stuff at work, Sometimes I forget I packed lunch from home & order a takeaway…..imagine.

At home, most of the time I manage thru sheer luck though I would like to give God his due. Thankfully, my kids have sharp ears & nose, so many a time I’m rescued by their timely information…..they smell something burning….water overflowing……..

I make a list in my mind for 5 items from the supermarket. I take 2 minutes to reach for the phone & call them. By the time I’m ordering the stuff I’ve already forgotten 2 items in it. Ofcourse as soon as I keep the phone I remember it but that’s another matter. Where it matters most, my memory deserts me.

On the other hand my loss of memory works out advantageous for the people around me especially the kids. When they behave disgracefully I read them the Riot Act and banish them to the opposite corners of the room for the next 2 hrs. Only after they commit another misdemeanor do I realize that they have left their respective corners and have been wandering freely for the past, God Knows how long.
I never remember how much money people have to give me back unless ofcourse I have noted it down somewhere. Even then I forget where exactly I wrote it down.

Ofcourse I am known for never keeping any grudges. Yeah, you r getting the drift…I forget about it, most of the time. Like today, when I got up at 6.30am and stumbled out of the room my better-half who was already up, came and gave me a hug. “So sweet” I thought “but how come” also crossed my mind. Only an hour later, it struck me what the hug was for. Last night, he & I had an argument about an issue wherein I didn’t consult him before making a decision. Actually I knew he was right and so didn’t argue further. I quietly went off to bed, so he must have thought he hurt my feelings and hence the hug.

At work, I write down everything to be done in my work book. Even then I manage to forget stuff here & there. And this is the 1st time I’m openly admitting it…..I have actually stopped looking for a better job because i fear a more professional environment may not regard my forgetfulness with the same indulgency my present setup is affording me.

Yes, I know I’m not suffering from Alzheimer’s. But there is this fear that maybe all this is leading towards it. If my memory is this bad in my thirties then I shudder to think how it is going to be 2 decades down the lane.

As I scan what I have written above, it comes across as …as…totally worrying. I hasten to correct your impression……. I am not always like this. If I make up my mind about remembering something then ofcourse I will remember until I complete the task. But the question is just how many times can I focus my mind to remember this and remember that…..?

Sometimes when I am least expecting it, I find the money which I had stashed some 4 months earlier. This is the only silver lining in whole scenario.

So does anybody have any solutions to this…….other than suggesting writing everything down in a book(which I am doing). The best ‘Consolation and Practical comment’ will be remembered in my prayers for the next 1 week…….. No I won’t forget(see, 2nd last sentence of 3rd last para).

12 comments:

  1. Shud I offer a solution or shall we forget it? :D
    Good one. LOL, especially the one abt forgetting ur lunch!
    Firstly, I am not of the opinion that u have a bad memory. In what u are passionate about, u almost have a photographic memory. Like ur Mills n Boons storybooks. I remember how u used to hand me one from ur several stacks and actually briefly describe the story. I used to be stumped.
    I am trying to think of a solution. I will be back with it shortly.

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  2. Er...what was it that I wanted to say..?? :)

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  3. u dont need a solution cus there exists no problem :) it happens to everyone, such busy lifestyles, work, home, children.. i guess one tends to.. as u said , its not really a problem...
    u know, actually i wish i was the same.. i remember even the slightest of things which i wish i had forgotten about.. so!its all good :)
    and now i can safely tell u my name ;)

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  4. hmm there is nothing wrong ,it has happened to me all the while and continues.

    Something you can do is to have a set of reminders in your mobile since it is easier than yur book,so that you can keep getting alarms as many times until u finish ur job ,the frequency depends on you ,how frequent the alarms shld be .


    Anyways cheer up ,dont bother abt 2 decades down the line ,live today :)

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  5. Bins: Yeah, some memories are very clear in my mind. Its the day to day stuff that I'm very vague about.

    Ps: Oh, just forget about it;-)

    ISH: u sound so convincing that I want to believe u.

    SS: I used to keep reminders:-) until I lost my mobile & my new mobile does not have the same features as my old one. I've found out the hard way that Nokia is the best when it comes to features.

    And the prize goes to ISH for reminding me I'm not Superwoman and that 'forgetting' has its own advantages. If ur ears tingle at 11pm, u can be sure that it is me taking ur name in prayer;-)

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  6. "Ofcourse I am known for never keeping any grudges. Yeah, you r getting the drift…I forget about it, most of the time." Wish it can be the same for everyone

    I agree with ISH, there isnt any problem. My mum is the same as you, so instead of making it a big deal we all try and get some good laugh out of these small small things that she forgets ;)

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  7. Hi.. I can't say I have a solution..but can tell you what I do, if that helps. I put the wrong word in my sentences...and not one that is synonymous to what I wanted to say...a totally different word. Sometimes the sentences come out so weird that my hubby has a field day pulling my legs...I've been trying to find out for some time if it is the beginning of some deadly brain disease ...anyways, have warned my hubby that he cannot be expecting me to earn a living for too long! ;)

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  8. Sunshine: Glad to know there are others who share the same quirks as mine. I dont know about 'good laugh' but I do get funny looks which mean "Are u for real?":-P

    Wannabe: hehe my mother does the same like u but till today v cant make out whether she is mistakenly using the wrong word or just joking. When we ask her she smiles mysteriously.

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  9. LOL LOL LOL!

    Damn there r more ppl like me! feels all good truely..

    Once I had givben my purse to safe keep with a friend who was waiting for me in the cafeteria... for me.. I was in a meeting..


    When the meeting ended I made each of those to check their stuff and in and around...

    No surprises ... they were looking for my wallet :)

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  10. W the p: hehe that was funny. Did they all beat u up:-)?

    Thanks for dropping by

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  11. An effective remedy would be visit my blog every day & read my posts devoutly :D

    I am the bang opposite of you in nature. I have an elephants memory literally! No, it doesn't come in handy always. But I don't hold grudges either. I 'remember' to forget .. LOL.

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  12. :-D

    u knw becoz of u I too am re-reading all these posts after a long time & smiling nostalgically:-)).

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