So in case you did not know, I had a milestone birthday last year. While the surprise party, well, surprised me, I was able to celebrate this great (?) occasion with family and friends. Now that I am approaching a year after that party, it has really settled in that I am indeed getting older.
I have tried different ways to remember things - repeating things over and over again (it appears weird when I do this in public) and writing things down (but then I can't read my writing, which is a topic of a whole other post).
But...as I have gotten older and am trying to balance work and personal life, it appears these tactics only work some of the time. I usually now just do whatever I was doing and when I remember, I remember. It might mean that I have to take multiple trips in and out of my office or up and down my stairs, but I guess it is better than the alternative...being 6 feet under.
Til next time.
Case in Point #1 - Completing surveys that ask your age. I always make sure I do the surveys when they call, since I actually had to conduct surveys while at UB at the Schaefer Center. But, now I am on the opposite side, and it takes so long to finally get to my age range (you know what I mean...is your age between 21 and 25...No...between 26 and 30...uh, No..between 31 and 34...uh, keep going....and so on). And now I am grouped together with those people who are 5 years older than me, as opposed to those who are 5 years younger. When they finally get to my age range, I quietly whisper "yes" and look around as if anyone is listening to this conversation. When I did this, I swear I heard that surveyoer trying to make money for her weekend sorority party chuckling to herself. I am not sure, but I think I even heard her gasp and say "Wow...you could be my Dad."
Case in Point #2 - My memory. I do a lot of my thinking about my day in my weekday 5:15 a.m. shower before I go to work. As I am washing my hair, I will think about what I need to do for the day. I think about my meetings, which leads to what I need to do to prepare, which then leads to me thinking about my presentation, which then leads to when I am going make time for lunch, which leads to my love of peanut butter and jelly, which leads to Reese Cups, which leads to me thinking about how many I could eat in one minute, and the next thing you know it is five minutes later, I am drooling, and I am turning into a prune.
I will also think about things that I need to do right after I get out of the shower. For example, my ear was itchy the other morning, and I told myself "Self, when you get out of the shower in a few minutes, grab a q-tip and get rid of that itch." You want to know when I remembered to clean my ear? - around 10:43 a.m., while sitting in a meeting with my boss.
I also usually forget to drop our returning Netflix movies in the mail box on the way into my building at work. I have to walk about 200 yards from the parking garage to my building, not passing anything particularly interesting to momentarily lose my focus on the mailbox, but by the time I get into the building, I sail right by it with the movies in my bag (and sometimes even in my hand). The first time I notice is when I grab my key to get into my office, and there are those darn red envelopes laughing at me - and I am now stuck with "Ghost Train" for another day.
I will also think about things that I need to do right after I get out of the shower. For example, my ear was itchy the other morning, and I told myself "Self, when you get out of the shower in a few minutes, grab a q-tip and get rid of that itch." You want to know when I remembered to clean my ear? - around 10:43 a.m., while sitting in a meeting with my boss.
I also usually forget to drop our returning Netflix movies in the mail box on the way into my building at work. I have to walk about 200 yards from the parking garage to my building, not passing anything particularly interesting to momentarily lose my focus on the mailbox, but by the time I get into the building, I sail right by it with the movies in my bag (and sometimes even in my hand). The first time I notice is when I grab my key to get into my office, and there are those darn red envelopes laughing at me - and I am now stuck with "Ghost Train" for another day.
I have tried different ways to remember things - repeating things over and over again (it appears weird when I do this in public) and writing things down (but then I can't read my writing, which is a topic of a whole other post).
But...as I have gotten older and am trying to balance work and personal life, it appears these tactics only work some of the time. I usually now just do whatever I was doing and when I remember, I remember. It might mean that I have to take multiple trips in and out of my office or up and down my stairs, but I guess it is better than the alternative...being 6 feet under.
Til next time.
1 comment:
Hilarious! Isn't aging grand? You didn't touch on the physical aspects of aging ... the bizarre aches and pains, the winded-ness after a single flight of stairs, the inability to bend over and tie one's shoe. Enjoyed this very much. Thanks, Tim!
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