it's not old age
In a conversation with a coworker I just now used the throwaway term 'must be old age' regarding our mutual forgetfulness, but I don't really believe that to be true.
People often use age as soon as you hit 30 or so to explain away every little mental gaffe, but it's come to dawn on me that it isn't age, it's lack of attention toward what are often very boring, even if essential, details. I didn't forget my tie this morning because I'm senile, I forgot my tie because it wasn't where my ties normally are and because my wife asked me to get her phone for her as she was going to try to get some more sleep. So my focus shifted from 'get tie, lunch, and leave' to 'get phone - why the hell is she asking me to get her phone? Why can't she just take her phone to bed with her at night so that she has it if she wants it? I should try to remember to do it for her so I can avoid having to get it in the morning...' and on and on, and before I know it I'm driving down the street without a tie.
For a time my life was mostly about myself, filled with things I cared about that I wanted to remember, not just day to day but also hour to hour. As my life has shifted, though, I've found myself swamped by minute to minute items that I truly don't care about: diaper bags appropriately stocked, tissues available, who has eaten what, what various family members are celebrating, etc. The life I'm enjoying now requires these minor things of me but it doesn't help me focus any more intently on them. The flip side of that coin also adds annoyance at those things to the mix, an annoyance which is corrosively distracting.
What to do about this? Nothing, I assume, short of finding my dream job so I can unload about 30% of these things and being patient enough to take the other 70% as the mundane that accompanies the great. And beer. Beer could probably play a more important postive role in there somewhere...
People often use age as soon as you hit 30 or so to explain away every little mental gaffe, but it's come to dawn on me that it isn't age, it's lack of attention toward what are often very boring, even if essential, details. I didn't forget my tie this morning because I'm senile, I forgot my tie because it wasn't where my ties normally are and because my wife asked me to get her phone for her as she was going to try to get some more sleep. So my focus shifted from 'get tie, lunch, and leave' to 'get phone - why the hell is she asking me to get her phone? Why can't she just take her phone to bed with her at night so that she has it if she wants it? I should try to remember to do it for her so I can avoid having to get it in the morning...' and on and on, and before I know it I'm driving down the street without a tie.
For a time my life was mostly about myself, filled with things I cared about that I wanted to remember, not just day to day but also hour to hour. As my life has shifted, though, I've found myself swamped by minute to minute items that I truly don't care about: diaper bags appropriately stocked, tissues available, who has eaten what, what various family members are celebrating, etc. The life I'm enjoying now requires these minor things of me but it doesn't help me focus any more intently on them. The flip side of that coin also adds annoyance at those things to the mix, an annoyance which is corrosively distracting.
What to do about this? Nothing, I assume, short of finding my dream job so I can unload about 30% of these things and being patient enough to take the other 70% as the mundane that accompanies the great. And beer. Beer could probably play a more important postive role in there somewhere...
posted by jim at 6/17/2008 12:17:00 PM
1 Comments:
Angry Jim, it's Johneboy Donovan...a used-to-be-GSAer. You remember me, tall, tan, good looking and 60 years old today
(7/15).
Yes, beer is good for you. Just read an article in Investor's Business Daily that abstinence from alcohol after being a once in a while drinker will cause depression. SO...bottoms up!!
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