Part 8 – Is it just me or does everyone have big lapses of memory?

My biggest concern is when I am driving. I always listen to books on tape, or CD, when on a trip. I soon tire when I am driving and I find that listening to the stories keeps me awake and alert. However, I quite often find that I have driven through a whole town and not realized it as I was absorbed into the story.

Driving to the coast, I enjoy the Hope/Princeton highway as the many twists and turns force me to pay attention, however, driving through the Similkameen valley is always a problem. I go through Keremeos ok, but tune out between Keremeos and Princeton. I honestly do not remember the journey, which is scary. Was I aware of my surroundings, did I unknowingly take the necessary care needed. Maybe if something untoward happened I would have been alerted from my reverie, but it is a scary thought to lose awareness for my surroundings.

I know I am capable of going into my own thoughts and, quite often, have had a shock when someone speaks to me as I was completely unaware of their presence.

Short term memory loss is a constant companion. I go to the bedroom to get something, instantly forget what it was I came for, but make the bed while I am there. As I walk into the kitchen, I suddenly remember what it was I needed from the bedroom, so hurry back there before my memory goes out to lunch again.

Husband Dave is a constant “loser” of items. After fifty years of finding his lost items, I now completely refuse to even try to help. Most recently, he lost a set of keys, instead of taking the trouble to find them, he borrows someone else’s keys. Car keys are his main problem. I always put my car/house keys into my purse so I know where to find them next time. Dave puts his keys anywhere. He will leave them on the car dashboard, with his wallet, in full view of anyone who looks in there. They are quite often left in the unlocked car, overnight. The resulting panic the next morning no longer bothers me. I refuse to get sucked in to his game of hide and seek. I also refuse to lend him my keys as I feel he is just too lazy to find his own.

Several weeks ago he lost the cell phone. This is usually left in the glove compartment of our main vehicle but, for some reason, he had taken it out with him, in the truck, which we share with our son-in-law. Days later, he was looking for the cell phone, the general panic set in. I once again refused to look as I am trying to make him take some responsibility for his actions. His answer to this dilemma was to buy another phone. Needless to say, the original phone was located a couple of days later, on the seat of the truck.

Going to the store always requires a list, if more than two items are required. Two items are fine, but three sends him into a complete turmoil, resulting in a phone call from the store for a reminder.

The two of us manage to function most of the time because I write everything down. In the evening I check my wall calendar and make a little note of what appointments we have the next day. The note is left by the tea kettle, which is the first thing we go to the next morning. I think that, on the whole, we are fooling the world into thinking we function OK, but really, neither of us are fit to be left alone. One of these days, our daughters will realize what sad cases we are and put us in a home, till then, we rely on notes, lies and the kindness of others to get by.