It scares me, these lapses.
I decided the sensible thing was to begin carrying a purse. One is far less likely to drop something or leave it behind if it is slung over a shoulder.
Friday, I drove my brother in law into town to pick up a rental car. The deer had sensibly run across the road and into the brush before suddenly changing his mind, turning back and flinging himself into my sister's car.
"I don't know what is wrong with my car," I said. "It doesn't seem to want to shift."
The thing is I had not driven my car much. We tend to stick to the Suburu because the gas mileage is better. That is the only explanation I have. My brother in law looked down, laughed and shifted the car from Low to Drive. I was mortified.
In the Suburu, Drive is straight all the way back. To put it into Low, you move the gear shift from Drive to the left. In the Lincoln, it is a straight operation: park, reverse, neutral, Drive and low. I just pulled the shift all the way back like you would for the other car.
I forget things.
There is part of me that just wants to blame it on my preoccupation with the chaos around me. There is another part of me that worries that it is not.
It's quite likely that your memory issues relate to stress. And you've had plenty.
ReplyDeleteActually, things have been more settled lately.
DeleteMy town is doing some road repairs and has made my street a detour. One hour in a semi pulled wires from my house. My husband got them out of the street and had me call the police station on the nonemergency line. They asked my name (I knew that), my address ( I knew that) and my telephone number. I. Could. Not. Remember. My Telephone. Number. I started stopped three times, panicking, and finally said "I don't know" in the most pitiful cry.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes this worse is that my son is a police detective. He hasn't heard this story yet or I will never hear the end of it. I worry about me too. I think our brains are too full.
Lol. I have done this...
DeleteHow often does one phone one's own number?!
DeleteThat's what I always said, but had to learn it as people ask so often what it is . . . Miss Merry - when distressed, vital information seems to go down a drain in your head!
DeleteWhen you drive you use your rote memory and changing vehicles where the positioning is different naturally you will be confused. A shoulder bag is much more difficult to loose than carrying a wallet loose. Somewhere in the depths of my bag is my car fob and although I never see it I wouldn't be able to start the car if I didn't have my bag so I never am without it.
ReplyDeleteOur cars are older. No fobs for us...but that would really be handy!
DeleteWait! You drive manual cars?
ReplyDeleteAh, Miss Merry. Sometimes I stumble over numbers too — like bank numbers that I have inputted many times.
No. Both cars are automatic, but they still need to be put into gear. But...I can drive a manual and to be frank, I prefer standard shift in the winter.
DeleteA friend of mine needed a new purse. She went into Kohl's and knowing she would need a purse designed better for her personal use as she needed to have a secure place to put her phone where she could reach it if it rang. She tried out various styles, pulling out the wads of paper stuffing each time checking where the phone placement would be. She finally chose a purse, paid for it and drove home. Hours later she couldn't find her phone. She figured out she had left it at the store in one of the purses. Frantically, she drove back and checked all the purses she had handled. She found it tucked into a really safe place in one of the purses. She is about 20+ years older than you, maybe more. So, my dear, you have a long time before you have to worry about such things. We all do it at one time or another and if someone says they don't, they will lie to you about something else.
ReplyDeleteLol. okay. I am not there. Yet.
DeleteThe time to worry would be when you get home, can’t find your phone, and don’t remember that you’ve BEEN at the store trying out purses!
DeleteI use my debit card for everything. Can rattle off the 16 digit number any time! Except somtimes when I am on the phone. A complete blank! So I have learned to always write it down before I will need it on a call. Last week a different twist. I was picking up a prescription at Walmart. Mentioned to the girl that I had not received a text notification that it was ready---- and said maybe I put STOP sometime to end unnecessary texts. That was fine, she said. Just type in your phone number there, and next time you will get a text...EASY. Typed in the number. As I hit the last digit I realized---- I had typed in our old landline number which we haven't used in about 20 years! How embarrassing! Had to redo the whole transaction with ID, etc. so I could put in the correct number! Shaky world I am living in! But I am several years older than you.
ReplyDeleteWe lived in our last house for 32 years and the number of times I go to give that address or phone number, still, and yet we moved 4 years ago. Automatic pilot . . .
DeleteWe all begin to look for signs at our age. One of my lads suggested I could be forgetful. As I pointed out, I now have to clean for myself, manage the home, do shopping, and remember everything else in my daily life. Aside from vacuuming, I didn't generally do any day to day cleaning, I didn't have to think about food, Ijust went along for the ride and brunch when food shopping, and ideas and plans were bounced off each of us, with my late partner. Now my brain has to think of and remember an awful lot of things. If I sometimes forget something, too bad.
ReplyDeleteSorry, just to support what you are doing with with your purse, I think it was three times in one year where I left my wallet somewhere. Ok, I thought. I've been lucky to get it back each time, but I need to change the way I carry it, and I did. Not a problem since.
Delete“One is far less likely to drop something or leave it behind if it is slung over a shoulder.”. This has been my mantra all my life!
ReplyDeleteFunny that here a woman's wallet can be called..a purse!
ReplyDeleteA shoulder bag is a good idea.. until it gets too full of "essentials" and too heavy!!!
Well, it looks like we all do such daft things. I put it down to not paying attention enough. So many things going on in our lives and we are just not concentrating. My girls despair of me sometimes!
ReplyDeleteOh. Very. YES!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely!
ReplyDeleteI've tried carrying a "phone wallet" one of those things with a wrist strap, and every time I do, I set the damn thing down somewhere. So, nope, I carry a backpack purse I can wear like a backpack or as a cross-body so I have free hands. And yep, I have tons of crap in it, and it can get heavy, but damn, when I need something, it's IN there. And if you're scared that forgetting might be something medical, there is a blood test you can get for dementia/Alzheimer's. I took it years ago (when my sister got dementia, after both parents got it) and mine was negative. So, I could breathe easier. Note that exercise is the number one way to stave off dementia. And keeping your blood sugar stable is the other way. You are very good at both!
ReplyDeleteI carry a lightweight cross body bag where my phone, key fob and wallet live. I can even drive while wearing it, so never have I lost it. I like having both hands free. I forget things too, but never lose anything. I try to keep things in the same place so I won’t misplace them, it helps. I am much older than you. I prefer a standard car too, but the traffic is so heavy now that I finally gave in and bought an automatic several years ago. I am 84 and still drive most days.
ReplyDeleteI’m a bloke, so I put my wallet in my back pocket (or now and then in my front pocket). I guess that’s an advantage of men’s trousers – that they have all those pockets.
ReplyDeleteMy car has first gear, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (and reverse) – it’s a manual. I’ve always driven a manual car, but then, I’m not American so I can cope with such things.
Many Americans drive manual/standard transmission and cope well too.
DeleteMary
I carry my wallet in my back pocket, and I often feel for it to reassure myself it's still there. I wear pants with pockets all the time, so it's just getting into the habit of finding pants with back pockets big enough. BTW, thanks so much for the comment. I now feel we are connected.
ReplyDeleteDebby- I am the same with the slips. I can't really deny them now.
ReplyDeleteSo many things on our minds these days, leads to distractions and mistakes. Glad you always found your wallet and are working on solutions. "Don't worry; be happy" ;)
ReplyDeleteA small crossbody purse is the best for when you're out and about, hands free and essentials safe.
ReplyDeleteIt was normal for me to slowly slip into mental lapses. And the good part is that I can't do anything about it!
ReplyDelete