Saturday, August 30, 2008

August and my mind is leaving

We all know that I am absentminded at the best of times, but every year at the end of August the walls close in and I am not fit to be in public unsupervised. As my neighbor lady Anita says, "I wasn't that smart even when I still had my full mind."

Let's see. There's the normal stuff like taking the pop cans to WinCo and then forgetting to redeem the refund coupons in the checkout line, and standing in the middle of the parking lot trying to remember where I parked. "I do that too," said a sudden voice to my left, a sympathetic 50-something woman. And of course I get to the middle of a sentence and forget where I began and where I was going. I used to make it to the end of the sentence before I did this. And I yell at the dog to quit barking at the sheep, only I call him Steven instead of Hansie.

I was sure that the new Sunday school quarter started this Sunday, so I threw out all the old SS quarterlies and called Amy two or three times to remind her to bring home the teacher's book for the youth girls' class, which I'm going to teach. And then finally it dawned on me that there's still one Sunday left in August.

And I think we're supposed to do something at church as a family on that Sunday, tomorrow in fact, in the evening, but I can't remember what it is.

Last Sunday we had a tableful of family and a couple of guests for dinner, and after dessert I said, "Do you want some more ice cream?" and Amy said, "Who are you talking to?" and I couldn't remember. The girls laughed cruelly at this. May God send them some sassy daughters of their own when they're my age.

My SIL Geneva told me that Zack texted her this week and said, "Is Aunt Dorcas ok? She seems kind of spacey."

And then there was the horrible, bad, awful episode this week when Emily was supposed to feed the neighbors' cat for a few days and she and I both completely forgot until ten minutes after they were home. Mrs. Neighbor has been so gracious and Christian about this, and thankfully cats have nine lives, but this is too much.

Why does this happen every summer? I think it's the accumulation of everything--all the weeding and feeding and schedules and canning and responsibilities and noise and appointments and watering and shopping and phone calls, and all of a sudden all the circuits fry. I need a new motherboard I think.

Quote of the Day:
"I wish you were still my Sunday school teacher because you tell stories with Legos!"
--Ashton, age 6. Since I used to illustrate Joshua and the walls of Jericho and various other stories with Ben's Legos. I don't plan to do this with the youth girls.

11 comments:

  1. No legos?! i'm disappointed! :)
    bethany

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  2. I have heard that you lose brain cells with every pregnancy....

    Or perhaps it's that you are getting less sun and your brain is gearing up for hibernation.

    Or perhaps it's because you can see the finish line and feel like you don't have to press on so hard.

    Or perhaps it is because you are over 40 and naturally starting to lose brain cells...perimenopause, you know.

    My son, who will be 8 tomorrow, has been disappointed by my lack of memory several times this year. The most recent was the homeschool group going up to Osbourne Aquatic Center in Corvallis...with the great diving well and the whirlpool...I totally spaced it out. He was so bummed. I don't think there is anything that hurts more than making your kids cry!!

    So, you are not alone, at all.

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  3. Thank you thank you thank you for sharing something I can relate so well to. Usually I'm the one telling people about my spacey periods while they look at me with half concern, half amusement on their faces.

    I have been known to drive through stop signs, forget to pick up a kid, and leave behind a kid (luckily, at a daycare center, so she was safe). There is also one particular person I seem to mess up with over and over so I know she thinks I'm the world's worst flake.

    Usually my episodes are brought on when I'm having especially deep thoughts and I'm trying to work through those while only partially paying attention to the rest of my life.

    And yeah, I call the dog by the kids' names and the kids by each others' names, all the time! And I only have half as many kids to keep track of as you do!

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  4. Oh yes, there's the time I was driving down the road and couldn't remember for the life of me where I was going (for about 10 seconds.)I have a friend who calls this malady "half-heimers" as opposed to "alls-heimers" since it only happens sometimes. =D

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  5. MY! Can I relate! Not only do I all those things - like starting to say something and forget half-ways through, or just forget - I will say things backwards, or opposite from what I mean! Fortunately, people will catch it and question what I said! Oh, sigh! This is why older people need to have a keen sense of humor or else you would just crawl into a hole and STAY there, too embarrassed to show your face!

    Sandra Miller

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  6. A new motherboard -- I like that one.

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  7. Yeah, a new motherboard would definitely be better for you than a new fatherboard.

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  8. I think it is simple.....you need a vacation!!

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  9. You know, there is a non politically correct word called "rest"It is necessary sometimes, probably not easy to put into practice with all you have to do, but it's the best present you can make to yourself and your family sometimes. I realize it when I work at night for a long time, or double shifts; my brain cells do fade away when I'm tired. (What is my password, what's the name of that place etc etc etc) So I really hope that you will find some time to relax

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  10. I am glad to hear that other people have moments like this. Sometimes I think I have the beginning stages of Alzheimers which is a scary thought!! Denise

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  11. Oh, my goodness! that thing about forgetting to feed the cat really is too much!!! You must have been mortified! i feel for you!

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