I forgot the cute, witty title I had chosen...

I just read an article in my beloved Reader's Digest titled "Memory is Overrated" and I think it perfectly describes me! I never knew there were others out there who go through life constantly trying to remember the pieces that make it up.

Author Cathleen Schine writes:

"I have no memory. I don't mean I suffer from dementia. I mean that from a very early age, I have lived in a vague, timeless valley ringed by towering mountains of what I have forgotten: monumental events and facts of my own life; friends' faces... dates both historical and personal....in the quiet obscure landscape of my memory there are, of course, occasional intense, random details I vividly remember, which means my life is rich and full of surprises."

I laughed through the whole article as it described many instances similar to my own life. Though, thankfully, I have not yet done some of the more dramatic things listed (greeted a friend by the name of her sister who recently committed suicide, reported my car stolen only to find it 3 months later parked on a different street than usual and covered with parking tickets).

But I certainly have no lack of instances in my own life where my inability to recall even large events in my life have left me feeling, at the very least, embarrassed and frustrated. Nothing irks Jason more than when he says something like, "remember when we watched that show about ____" and I look at him cluelessly. Or worse, "remember when we were in [insert name of fabulous place we traveled to] and saw [insert cool monument, museum, restaurant, etc.]" and he sees the pained expression on my face as I realize that I've forgotten a wonderful moment in my life. Jason has more or less learned to deal with it, though there are still times he just looks at me and says, "really??"

This one is a constant in my life:  "I CAN'T forget to get gas on my way home today." Ten minutes pass... "oh! I need gas! I'll get it when I get off the highway".... 5 minutes pass, "oh right... don't forget to get gas when you get off the highway in 30 seconds!" (you'd think I couldn't forget something in less than 30 seconds, right?). Then, as I'm pulling into the driveway at home, I realize I forgot gas anyway. This has left me stranded and waiting for AAA to rescue me with a can of gas on numerous occasions.

I sent my dad's blood pressure to Mars one day, I think. He and I worked at the same office one summer. He left a few minutes before me one day and called to warn me that right outside the office there were cops snagging speeders. As my heavy foot pressed the gas pedal taking off from a red light, and heading downhill, I looked up to see the cops he had mentioned on the side of the road, "ooooohhhh yeah....." Moments later red and blue lights flashed in my rear-view mirror and all I could think was, "my dad is going to kill me!" (He, indeed, was upset with me, though he also quickly realized just how upset I was with myself).

Planning to meet with two separate people on the same day, at the same time? Yup, I do that one probably on a monthly basis.

Already forgot my child's birth weight? Uh huh... thankfully I have my blog for quick reference (8 lbs. 6 oz. in case you were wondering).

I've walked away from the cashier, after paying, without my groceries. Not just one bag, but all of them. I've also walked away from a fast food counter with food, but without having paid (that didn't go over so well).

The other night Jason and I debated over whether or not I had seen the movie "The Hangover". I was sure that I had, but we decided to watch it "again" anyway... even after watching it I'm not sure if I saw the whole thing before or not!

Sometimes it's nice. I can reread my favorite books again and again and they're still page-turners because I've forgotten the plot line and even how the story ends. I've read the Harry Potter series three times now, and when I watch the previews for the last movie (coming out July 15th!) I realize that I probably ought to reread the last book again.

But really, it worries me constantly. It worries me because, as the author writes, I am always trying to avoid the pitfalls of my memory, or trying to figure out how to get out of pits when I fall into them. I worry about the important milestones I will forget. And worst, if I'm already this forgetful, what's going to happen as I age? I am so thankful to have the ability to take and store thousands of photos and videos, and even to have these words in this blog to turn back to. I actually have a travel journal for many of the trips I've taken (though, where they are, I don't know).

I had thought of a lot more funny stories highlighting my forgetfulness, but...well... I forgot them already. How about you? Are you forgetful? What funny or embarrassing thing have you done? What are some things you do to fight it? Crossword puzzles and sudoku? Gingko biloba? Sticky notes plastered everywhere? Do you have a story about something forgetful I did that I've forgotten?