FORGETTING FACES

My mother-in-law is in her eighties, and is becoming more conscious of her memory lapses.

Tonight she was trying to remember the first name of a woman she had know all of her (the woman's) life, and simply couldn't come up with it. And was trying to be cheerful about it, but it obviously bothered her.

I have always had problems with putting the correct name to the face. Since young adulthood.

I have a brain injury I can blame part of it on, but I simply have never had a great memory for names.

I can blame the fact that some people simply don't look like their name (I am forever having problems with Yvonne, who simply does not LOOK like a Yvonne - a Kathy, a Lisa, great, but not a Yvonne).


Or perhaps this is early Alzheimer's, settling into my poor damaged brain early.

EXCUSE ME?

It's easy to get inpatient with people.

People who get in the "8 Items Or Less" express line when they have the entire store's stock of Michelob in bottles in the shopping cart.

The driver in front of you who, when the light finally turns green, is twisted around trying to adjust the DVD which is keeping his toddler happy, and (obviously) does NOT stomp on the gas (as he should) the INSTANT the traffic light begins to twitch its wavelength towards 495 mm & frequency to 606 THZ (i.e. green).

The grandmother who repeats the same stories that you have heard from your infancy, forgets what day of the week it is, asks you the same question time and time and time again...

Wait a minute, that is me. Right now.

Alzheimer's and senile dementia were both blessings for my mom. Yes, she couldn't hold on to an explanation for more than a few seconds, but she also had forgotten all heartache, bitterness, and anger, and became an extremely agreeable person.

Hmm.

Only trouble here is that since I let go of most of the anger, bitterness and heartache a long time ago. And so with the memory going...

I'm sorry, what we were talking about here just a minute ago?

Oh, yes, this was prompted by my husband's difficulty in listening to his mother tell him "four times" the same story during our weekly call.

I'm going to be there very, very soon.

Wait... where am I going to be?