Come sit with me, let's visit

Come sit with me, let's visit

Friday, February 18, 2011

Reminders

It's funny the way things remind you of other things...

Like the smell of baby powder smells like Grandma. Like a school bell turns you immediately eleven on a hot Spring day. The Post-It says to 'take to the post office', but it's not attached to anything. What had to go to the post office? Did I do it? How old is this note?

I have a bell on my phone that goes off three times a day, to remind me to do some things that I do to feel better. I stop everything I do and do what the bell reminds me of. If I don't stop what I am doing I get distracted by the next shiny object and forget where my day was. Then it's 5:30, and I haven't planned dinner.

I don't have a physical head injury. I don't have Alzheimer's. I have a perfectly good memory and can recall things of a caliber that have no necessity in daily living, like 'triskaidekaphobia' is a fear of Friday the 13th. But when I try to remember whether or not I said something to someone yesterday? Not so much, with the memory-remembering-thingy.

The love of a good friend can remind you where you left your center. The smell of puppy breath can take you back to childhood. A candle can remind you of a romantic evening.  The wrinkles you didn't have yesterday can remind you of the birthdate written on your driver's license.

Of course forgetting that you are pouring your heart out online is rather kind in it's own way...

4 comments:

Unknown said...

OK, I am finally officially following, although I have been reading since shortly after you started your blog. I have been thinking so much lately of grandmama and grandad, still trying to decide if it helps to know all of us are missing them or if it just compounds the loss~
Aside from all that, I really am enjoying your blog, darkness and all, Of all of us cousins, it alwys seemed like I knew you the least since you were older, and already struggling by the time I was old enough to remember, and I appreciate getting to know you a little more.
Love ya Val,
Jen

j annie wilson said...

Smell is the sense that most aids me in remembering. My memory is fairly shot but a whiff of something or other will bring a memory rushing back. Today I got a care package from a friend and it had a small bottle of perfume called "The Breath of God" in it. Had a smell of sandalwood like a sandlewood I wore in the 80's when I lived in Santa Fe. I remembered the bottle it was in, the place I had bought it from, a hike in the mountains when I was wearing it. Magic!
Also, notes to myself are a must. I see shiny objects, too, and forget everything else.

Anonymous said...

I may not follow "offically" but I AM watching.

Anonymous said...

I may not follow "offically" but I AM watching.