I started writing a blog the other day and after a while I noticed that it seemed vaguely familiar. So, I checked though my files and, sure enough, I’d blogged about the very same thing less than two years ago. It’s not the first time this has happened either. I suppose that, after nearly 400 of these compositions, it’s not unusual to occasionally cover some of the same territory…but to re-write things nearly word for word and not be aware of it is scary on a several levels; A) I’m slowly slipping into the wondrous world of dementia which is not uncommon for people of my advanced years: B) I could wind up suing myself for plagiarism.
Occasionally, I’ll be telling Linda about something when she gently interrupts to inform me that I’d already told her the same thing the night before. I usually just write off those memory lapses to having spent way too much time at the 19th hole after a round of golf. But maybe there’s more to it.
Does anyone else have to hold a finger on numbers in the phone book because you can’t retain 7 digits in your head long enough to dial the party you want? Have you ever called someone and, when they answer, forgotten why you rang them in the first place?
There are times when I’ll see a very familiar word and suddenly it becomes oddly foreign in my mind and I have trouble figuring out how its spelled. “Yeah, I have those senior moments once in a while too,” Linda says. But I think she’s just being sympathetic. I’ve learned the hard way that she NEVER forgets anything. Her recall of dumb things I’ve said and done over the last 30 years is pristine and available at a moments notice during our rare but rousing disputes.
I was always jealous of people with great memories like Dave Dedrick. Okay, he might light up one cigarette forgetting he had another burning in the ashtray, but boy could he remember stories from his rich and colorful life as a TV icon. I could listen to him talk for hours and hours sharing his entertaining adventures in remarkable detail. Oh, how I wish I could hear some of those stories again.
Steve Hemmingsen is one of the smartest guys I know and can remember names, dates and pertinent details about stories that made the news way in the past. But Steve will also tell me the same thing he told me the day before. Hell, an hour before. But if he’s aware of this fact or the least bit concerned about it, I haven’t noticed.
I shouldn’t be worried either, I guess. Someone sent me an e-mail recently which contains a simple test to determine if you’re trending toward the big “A” and I passed with flying colors. I was going to print it here but can’t remember where I saved it.
Oh, yeah.. it’s HERE
Something REALLY worth remembering is that November 11th is Veterans Day. A big thanks to ALL of you who’ve served this country in the military. We have lost so many World War Two vets in the last year. That’s why I’m so thankful for the “Honor Flight” program which has provided surviving veterans a chance to visit their memorial in Washington, D.C . The final flight in South Dakota departs, appropriately enough, on Veterans Day.
My uncle, Johnny Gruseth, who died in the late sixties, always remembered November 11th as Armistice Day; commemorating the end of World War One…his war. All I know is that he fought in it and returned home safely. I sure wish I could have asked him about his experiences in battle and in the trenches. And, oh, yes, to thank him for putting his life on the line to protect the freedom we now so easily take for granted.
