Remembering

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Becoming forgetful or being forgetful, I cannot remember when it started, but I would like to believe I wasn't always like this.

Why do I remember song lyrics from when I was a kid, and yet I cannot remember where my glasses are when I have them on?

A friend reassured me that it is how it is when we age.

Merde, just another reminder I would like to forget – I am older.

My Mother isn't forgetful; she is 88 years old, so it cannot be "just an age thing."

My friend said, "You know, forgetting things doesn't mean you have dementia unless you go to the refrigerator to get some milk and find your keys instead."

I hope if that ever happens, I do not remember it.

The other thing is that I used to be stellar at remembering names, but now I am lucky if I remember any of the names of people I have met seconds after being introduced.

Thankfully, I remember a time when I used to remember silly things, such as phone numbers from childhood. Why that sticks and is not why I went to the grocery store without my shopping list is bothersome.

My dad used to say, "You can call me anything. Just do not call me late for dinner." He also used to say he didn't like his birthday as it was a reminder that he was getting older. I understand, but I used to say, "Dad, you are as young as you feel!" Now I know it isn't about feeling young but about not being young.

My Dad told me when he was 70, and by the way, I did think that he was old, even if he was young at heart and in better shape than me, "I wake up in the morning and give thanks for another day to live." Then he would do a somersault out of bed.

Please let me know what your thoughts are.

Are you forgetful too?

Any tidbits except for to-do lists to improve your memory?

 

 



Comments

22 responses to “Remembering”

  1. I believe this happens to us all. It is certainly the case for my husband and I.
    Much love
    Jeanne

  2. A little giggle I always think better with my lipstick on
    Hugs

  3. Ed Schnurbusch

    I can barely remember how to spell memory these days. I have notes stuck all over the house. If I want to do something on the computer, I usually forget what it was before I can boot up and log in. Don’t even get me started on being “side tracked”. I’m like a hunting dog that sees a squirrel.

  4. Tracy age 67

    I’m sorry, now what was your question?

  5. Cousin Linda

    If it weren’t for Google, I’d go nuts trying to remember the name of an actor I see on a tv show. I’ve got the song lyrics in my head too and I can still recite all the U.S. presidents that I memorized in 8th grade. But last night I poured myself a glass of cold wine, but didn’t remember to put it back in the fridge. I also leave stove burners on. It’s downright scary.

  6. “I am lucky if I remember any of the names of people I have met seconds after being introduced.”
    I deal with this by always repeating the person’s name during the introduction.

  7. Barbara St. Aubrey

    Ah yes, but then if a stand perfectly still in the room then I remember because on the way I have planned a dinner or reviewed plans for the next holiday or had a conversation in my head about what to say when I write a note to my cousin or even review information I recently read and so by the time I’ve reached the room or table or porch chair my errand is ancient history. I do find post-its with tasks and plans for the day stuck all over helps me keep me focused. I’ve become like a 7 year old day dreaming even while carrying out a task. I’m 90 so lots to day dream about and living alone I’m my own best friend.

  8. I blame my door frame to the kitchen. There is something evil there that makes me forget why I walked through!

  9. Glasses,keys and hearing aids play hide and seek in my house.
    Cheryl is right about ‘evil door frames’,but if you return to the room where you started, your’purpose’ for going through the ‘evil doorway’ usually comes back.
    I am 78 and can’t deny being “older”, but I am ot admitting to ‘old’ or old age. I currently identify as being in advanced middle age. Humour me.

  10. Suki Tutthill

    I heard somewhere it is an actual phenomena that when you walk through a doorway or archway it can make you forget why you were going into the next room.
    My Mom in law did massive crossword puzzles always challenging her brain and lived alone and drove til she was 94 when she passed.
    I have heard that we need to learn something new every day to exercize our brain.
    Duolingo for French every day for me this year!
    Love you and your family and your journal.

  11. Teddee Grace

    I think song lyrics “stuck” in our brains when we were teenagers because our minds were so empty! Now we have decades of experiences and memories stuffed in there and know that things such as song lyrics aren’t very important anyway so why bother tamping them in there. And, usually, if I find myself wondering why I was going into a certain room, it is because I am thinking multiple thoughts at the same time…”multi-thinking?”…and not focusing on the issue at hand. I suspect that’s something I could practice correcting if I really “thought” it was important.

  12. Advanced middle age. I love it. My new answer to how old I am. Old age starts at 100 should I be healthy and sane.

  13. Elizabeth Schaeffer

    Focus

  14. Elizabeth Schaeffer

    Also, I use Alexa to remind me of many many things. Use technology to your advantage or when you meet people, write down their names if you can as soon as possible or whisper their names or dates to remember and other things to remember quietly into your phone on an app made for lists.

  15. Elizabeth Schaeffer

    And repetition to yourselfo of names and tasks to be done and where you’ve placed keys glasses etc.

  16. I make up mnemonics all the time. For instance, I can never remember the name of a clematis. But, it is a climbing artist and I never seem to forget that mnemonic, and then the correct name just comes right away.

  17. Jennifer Phillipps

    Seems to me by the wealth of replies that we are all in the same foggy boat….since I popped through into menopause, albeit fairly late at age 58, I find I cannot always bring to mind the name of a person or an actor, so I just keep working on it through a process of elimination and it usually pops into the old brain box! I am mostly ok otherwise, but I do have that thing where I go into a room and think now what was I coming in here for, then I stop, retrace my pattern and usually it comes back, so maybe that is the key, don’t stress on it but just work through the process. They say you need to do more brain stretching things like board games, crosswords, cognitive therapy to help the brain keep working well…so that is what I try to do. Cheers from Jennie, NZ

  18. I believe a small notebook with a pen or pencil attached can be a great memory aid. It has to have a bright colored cover, so if you put it down somewhere (or it wanders off…that’s always a possibility), you’ll be able to glance around and see it easily. And then — jot down notes of all sorts of info you want to remember. Small tabs at intervals in the notebook should help keep notes in order: for instance, “Names” with date and a few words about the person, “To do” with date, “Books” that people have recommended, etc. We also keep a wall calendar with appointments written down. Many people put all this sort of information on their phones, but I come from the era of the written word. Now the catch: you have to remember to use that notebook! And I’d better follow my own advice, and carry one with me!

  19. My brain is permanently in a foggy state, I blame it on health problems, medication, covid, anything except being old, now 76.
    As far my memory goes I call my granddaughters Sweetie/pumpkin or whatever comes out my mouth when I can’t remember their names. For the past week I have looked at a photo searching my mind for the name of the view shown, it has come back eventually – Stonehenge – now I can’t remember why I needed to know! Usually I remember the first letter of the word I need just not the whole word. Old age sucks but it’s better than the alternative.

  20. Nearly 80 here and doing better than some cohorts for which I’m thankful. For the last few years I play “Wordscapes” on my phone. It is a free word game of which I’m addicted. I do atleast 3 or 4 games a day. It has helped immensely. For those that have completion issues, you can Google cheat sheets and keep them in Safari.

  21. Most often I think I am doing great, then they do this test at the annual doctor’s checkup to test if you have dementia and I miss a word. Yikes! I told the doctor I would have nightmares about that. I usually try to do word association in my mind in order to remember. The doctor asked me to remember three words: sunrise, daughter and heaven. Well the sunrise was gorgeous that day and I had seen my daughter earlier in the day, but I hadn’t seen heaven and totally forgot it later in the conversation. OK, but I could still draw the face of a clock. Oh these tests just irritate me!

  22. Evelyn Carlos

    Love the evil doorway and advanced middle age…. these will be my new excuse for everything I forget! But it’s true that we should use technology to help us through, Google is my best friend and tells me everything i need to know. And keep the mind sharp by playing word games… there are so many to choose from.

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