My memory only fails me when I forget something

         At 72, I am entitled to have memory lapses, and age is a great excuse for forgetting things. If you’re younger than I am and you forget stuff, you probably can’t wait to get old. You can forget the birthdays of people closest to you and be forgiven. Saves a lot of money too, because it’s even easier to forget to pick up a belated card or gift.

           Memory is funny. I’m sure there are experts who can explain why we remember some things and forget others. When I reconnected with my friend Jerry in Facebook, he reminisced about how we met in first grade. “Uh-uh,” I told him. “In first grade I was in PS 68. We didn’t meet until second grade.” Our teacher was Miss Santangelo, and she pulled hair. “Oh, that’s right,” Jerry said. “You have a better memory than I do — I must be getting old.” Right. Jerry’s ten months older. See? Blaming it on age.

           I remember my first telephone number (FL4-5231) and I remember there were no such things as area codes yet. I remember my air force serial number after 50 years, and I’ve never forgotten my social security number.

           But how often do I think of something I need to do in the kitchen and get up to go do it, and when I get to the kitchen I’ve forgotten what it was I wanted to do? Or how often have I put down a tape measure and then forgotten where I put it a few minutes later? Or how often have I put something important in a safe place and then forgotten exactly where that safe place was?

           I don’t have a bag of tricks for remembering things. I can leave myself a note reminding me of where that safe place was, but then I’d have to remember where I put the note. Leaving myself a note about where I put down the tape measure seems silly. Where notes come in handy is when I get an idea for something while I’m in the store and I scribble a few key words on the back of my shopping list. If I remember what the key words mean, I’m good to go. I do this when I get an idea for something I want to write, or when I think of something I want to Google. Generally the only time this fails me is when I can’t read my writing.

           I had an ending for this column all roughed out in my head, but I went into the kitchen for a glass of water, and by the time I got back I forgot what it was. I suppose I could have left a note, but I forgot to do that too. I must be getting old.