Short Term Memory

I used to be able to remember everything. My friends would say I even had a photographic memory. Useless, odd bits of trivia would get lodged in my brain and remain there until needed, to be produced when discussing weighty matters (weighty to a teenager/young adult anyway).

Now? I ask D the same question several times. He accuses me of not paying attention. Some of that might be partly true, but I think some of that has to do with the fact that my mind is racing to try to figure out the best way to accomplish the other sixty odd things that need to get done before (insert date/activity/time here).

I think I’m finally starting to understand some things. Guys are simple (maybe not exactly Forrest Gump simple) but they are tasked to do something and they do it and then move on to the next thing. Simple. They’re not thinking as they do that one thing, ok, I need to pack the karate clothes and swim suit and towel and some extra clothes, we’ll drop him off at the Y, go to breakfast, go to karate, go back to the Y then go to the grocery store, do I need a list?, is there time to get home between the grocery store and birthday party?, don’t forget the present for the party, do we have time to stop for card, would it be easier to make a card, call dad, ask about where Easter will be and what time….

Then you put that on top of the sleep deprivation that took place about five years earlier, which you are still trying to make up for, you can understand why the memory’s not what it used to be.

And yet, driving to the train station a couple mornings ago, listening to the satellite radio tuned to the 80’s station, I still remembered every single word to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”.