| Mama is ninety-three years old. She often | | | | few minutes and promised to keep in touch. I |
| scolds me for being forgetful. "Lord-a-mercy, | | | | thought this would be the perfect way to get |
| Young'un," she'll say, shaking her head at | | | | her name, so I said, "oh, you'll need to give |
| me. "I'll declare if you wouldn't forget your | | | | me your phone number." She smiled and waved |
| rear end and leave it in the chair if it | | | | it away as she rounded the pork 'n' bean |
| wasn't already in your pants."I don't get | | | | aisle. "I'm in the phone book. "Some people |
| angry at her for scolding me. For one thing, | | | | are good with dates. I'm not. The only date I |
| at my age, it's nice to be called a | | | | can remember is the one my sister set me up |
| "young'un" and in the second place she's | | | | with. Boy was he a...oops, wrong kind of |
| right. I can't remember my own phone number | | | | date. Now where was I? Oh yes...My birth year |
| some days.Like the other day when I wrote a | | | | is about the only date I can remember. |
| check at the store and the cashier asked to | | | | Sometimes I have to count backward to figure |
| see my driver's license." ...or, just give me | | | | out my age.And don't you hate it when someone |
| your driver's license number if know it. I | | | | asks, "What was the name of that song, movie, |
| need to write it on your check."After I got | | | | book, person..." or whatever they are trying |
| up off the floor and stopped laughing, I | | | | to remember? This makes me crazy. If they |
| handed her my driver's license. She must have | | | | had not asked me, I probably would've |
| been kidding. Right?According to an article I | | | | remembered it. But since they put me on the |
| read from The American Academy of Family | | | | spot, my brain keeps getting a 404 |
| Physicians."Beginning when you're in your | | | | page-not-found error. Then I spend the entire |
| 20s, you begin to lose brain cells a few at a | | | | night in sleepless anguish, trying to |
| time. Your body also starts to make less of | | | | remember it. And then it comes to me all of a |
| the chemicals your brain cells need to work. | | | | sudden when I'm least expecting it, like in |
| The older you are, the more these changes can | | | | the middle of a church service or while I'm |
| affect your memory. Aging may affect memory | | | | waiting in line at the bank. Then I get all |
| by changing the way your brain stores | | | | these funny looks from strangers when I jump |
| information and by making it harder to recall | | | | up and down and yell out the answer.My |
| stored information. "Could this be sort of | | | | doctor's office started a new service a few |
| like when your computer's hard disk needs | | | | months ago. Now they call the day before and |
| defragmenting? I think something happens to | | | | confirm the appointments for the following |
| our memory files after we pass the forty year | | | | morning. I'm really glad of this for it helps |
| five million mile marker, whichever comes | | | | me remember to not forget to show up. |
| first. I always say mine is neither age nor | | | | However, it may not be a service at all. |
| mileage. It's all those sudden stops that | | | | Maybe I'm the only one they call?Mega Memory, |
| have worn me down. Too bad we can't just run | | | | a new product on the market developed by a |
| scan disk, defrag, then reboot our brains.I | | | | gentleman named Kevin Trudeau claims to teach |
| miss my mind. I really do. I miss the old | | | | techniques that stimulate neurotransmitters |
| days when I could remember everything I | | | | in your brain to instantly increase your |
| needed to buy at the market without making a | | | | memory and mental capacity. There are also a |
| list. Now I even have to take a pencil with | | | | gazillion different pills and potions and |
| me and mark off each item as I place it in my | | | | oceans of lotions that claim to aid in memory |
| shopping cart, otherwise I come home with ten | | | | enhancement.I keep buying them...I just can't |
| jars of peanut butter.I bumped into an old | | | | remember where I put them!Leeuna Foster has |
| friend of mine the other day while at the | | | | been writing for two decades. Her fiction and |
| grocery store. (thank goodness she wasn't | | | | poetry have won several awards. She is also a |
| injured.) We were exclaiming over how long | | | | regular contributer to StoryTime Tapestry and |
| it had been since we had seen one another. | | | | a syndicated columnists. Her latest book, |
| All the while I kept thinking 'Who in | | | | Hangin' With the Rednecks is now available in |
| heaven's name IS this person?' I should have | | | | print or in ebook form. Visit her website |
| remembered her, but for the life of me I | | | | for details on how to purchase your |
| could not remember her name. We chatted for a | | | | copy...don't wait for the movie! |