What day is it; where am I supposed to be; and do I have a coupon?

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Source: Hallmark, Shoebox Division

Source: Hallmark, Shoebox Division

Do you worry about memory loss? Can’t remember where your car key or fob is? (Or even your car? Yes, did that too.) Tools walk away when you are working on a project?

“They say” it’s normal to a certain extent. I don’t know what normal is.

I’ve worried since I was 40. My memory loss comes and goes. It mostly goes when I need it most like when I’m cooking or driving somewhere. (Is this the road where I turn? Did my landmark burn down?)

This past week was the bottom of the heap as far as memory goes.

A group of us took a friend out for dinner to celebrate her birthday. She picked a place for which I had a $5 coupon. All good.

I know I forget coupons on the kitchen counter. I’ll even forget them in my car so I put it in my purse. I have a zippered section that contains coupons. They are there and I never lose them. I just have to remember.

I let my friend know as a failsafe. That should be good, right?

No. I forgot. Not only did I forget but I didn’t remember I forgot until five days later when I went into my zippered place for a coupon.

So what about my failsafe? She forgot too.

(Note to self: skip the cocktail next time you have coupons or skip the coupons next time you have cocktails!)

This happens to everyone to some degree. Other than being annoyed with myself, life went on as usual. Or so I thought.

We had neighbors in for a cookout on Friday. It was a simple menu so I thought I’d perk it up with brownies. Who doesn’t love a shot of chocolate?

Brownies, especially from a box mix (nothing but the best for my neighbors), are very easy. You add three things and bake them. You don’t need to pull out the big mixer or do the grease and flour thing. Easy peasy.

Except when you’re me. I read the instructions, then immediately forgot to put in all the oil. They were good enough that evening but the next day without a good amount of fat, they were hockey pucks.

Fortunately there were only three left to throw. Either our guests drank enough or didn’t notice. (Note to self: Always serve booze when you are cooking.)

Last year we fenced in the yard to keep the munching deer out. It only works when you close the gate. Deer are capable of walking through a doorway especially to get to a delicious buffet.

We often keep the gate open during the day because it’s easy access to the garage, birdseed and other important stuff.

Saturday night as we were lying in bed I asked the beloved husband if he closed the gate. He didn’t remember. I didn’t remember. I used my sad face so around midnight he went downstairs to check. We had closed it.

I am booking a room at the home for old folks with pathetic memories. Hope I remember where it is. I wonder if I have a coupon….

Source: Hallmark, Shoebox Division

Source: Hallmark, Shoebox Division

 

58 thoughts on “What day is it; where am I supposed to be; and do I have a coupon?”

    • I think my mother’s memory was better than mine. After she retired she didn’t have as many worries (nor was she as neurotic). I always blame it on my clogged mind. Is there Saniflush for the brain?

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  4. I’m giggling at your title, Kate. Don’t worry ~ forgetting the coupons isn’t scary. Forgetting what a coupon IS ~ now that’s scary. And by all means, when you cook, get out the booze!

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  6. I think you could save yourself a step if you put the booze in the brownies as you made them. I find that as I age streamlining any process works to my benefit. One less thing to forget later.

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  8. I also keep coupons in my purse and forget to take them out.

    The thing that worries me is forgetting words. I used to be pretty good at learning Spanish and even a little bit of Chinese. Now I can’t remember much of what I learned (especially the Chinese), and I’m just trying not to forget English. The other day I couldn’t think of the word for wheelbarrow. Scary!

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  9. Last week we traveled to visit our son and I had a very brightly colored bag sitting out so I couldn’t possibly forget to take him some items we’ve been promising to bring with us “next time” we visited. I deliberately put the bag where I’d practically have to trip over it! You know what’s coming next. It’s still sitting here and I had to make my apologies…again! The good news is that I never forget important things like song lyrics I learned 50 years ago! We need to keep our sense of humor about it all, though, and you do a very good job of that, Kate!

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    • Never song lyrics from way back especially if the music is playing. I have learned to put anything I want to take someplace in the car. Even then it’s a crap shoot as to whether I’ll remember to take it into to wherever we are going.

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  10. It’s funny I can remember specific details from 40 years ago but I can’t remember why I walked into a room. It’s a scary thing, especially as you continyevtobage and wonder what the next 10-30 years might bring.

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  11. Yes, I forget. But my head is so full of “stuff” that I never had to think about before. My mind is always about a mile ahead of me. I like Life of Janine’s initial comment.

    I am not a good listener either, when CH is talking about a subject that I have no interest in I go to my little bubble and smile and nod at him. Then I realize later that he has said something I should have listened to and he reminds me that he just told me what I am asking about.

    Blogging definitely kept my verbal skills and brain cells clicking along.

    I lost my vehicle at Kohl’s last week. Went in one door at the end of the store and went out the other door way at the end of the store. I did remember I parked under a tree and that there was no parking in front of me… I found it pretty quickly.

    I am working on “white space”… 😀

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    • I space out when anyone is talking about something I’m not interested in. The older I get the less interested I get. Then one day there is something that I should know but it was mixed in with useless data. Boogers!

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  12. Laughing pretty hard over making a note to serve lots of booze when entertaining. 🙂 It’s not easy for me to remember, since I don’t drink much.

    Also, since I don’t drink much, I always think a tipsy guest’s compliments are sincere. Of course I usually find out later that said guest has no memory of the chocolate cheesecake being “the greatest cheesecake ever.”

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  14. You aren’t forgetful – your brain is just full and you need to download some useless information.

    Maybe you could get a webcam and put the link on your phone. We’ve got a camera in our garage and the front door, so when I have that “oh no!” moment at 12:15 am, I can check without running down two flights of stairs.

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  15. Very funny. I know my memory isn’t what it used to be. I get ready to go someplace I’ve been a thousand times and don’t remember how to get there unless I start from home. The other day I could not remember the name of the dog we had when my children were young. Poochie. You can see how hard that is.

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  17. I’ve been like this my whole life. I feel almost predestined for some kind of dementia.

    I believe it is the fact that I am very INTERNAL. I don’t spend a lot of time aware of my immediate surrounding or the present moment. I’m daydreaming or reading or ruminating on an idea. Its very hard for me stay Mindful about this moment and be aware of it. I distract myself reading, or watching video, or listening to a podcast.

    I honestly think that’s where all my forgetfulness comes from. Its because I hardly noticed the moment in the first place. And even if I did, my brain has never gotten into a good pattern of storing and organizing these memories and so when I try to remember the thing I specifically remember telling myself to remember, I can’t.

    I’m very good at remembering information related to my job. Because my brain developed that function. It seems to store things by story or where it belongs in a larger system. But random facts without workable context or memories of where I put my keys… Not so much

    I tell myself that I need to re-train my brain, but so far I’ve been fairly lazy about it.

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  18. Your title caught my eye today … Oh yes! I have a kitchen counter with unread magazines, unused shopping lists and forgotten coupons.
    The gate is also something we worry about.
    Such is life as we live it Kate ☺️

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    • I read that too. I blogged about it (the link is included in related posts) because it’s so much better to blame doorways than anything organic in my skull. My next house will be an “open” concept so I don’t have that problem. Then again, what will I blame it on?

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    • When I worked I always said it was because I had too much going on. Now I need a new excuse. I worry about dementia. My aunt had it and it wasn’t pretty. I also worry about heart disease, cancer and the black plague too.

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