I forget my granddaughter’s birthday – not because I didn’t write it down – but because I forgot to look at my list of “Special Days.”
I’m at the grocery store and can’t remember if I have an in unopened bottle of French Vanilla Coffee mate at home so I buy more.
Word recall? Routinely a word is on the tip of my tongue – and that’s where it stays – until about 15 hours later when it miraculously pops into my head.
I read the book From Strength to Strength by Arthur Brooks – underlining his key and very relevant points of view. Then I write my weekly newsletter based on his observations. Three weeks later a friend asks me, “Iris, what most impressed you about his book?”
And I can’t remember a thing.
Clearly I am in dire need of helpful hints to remember stuff.
A buddy suggests using acronyms.
“When I drive on the boulevard near my house,” she tells me, “there is a lot to be aware of so I keep thinking: PBS. PBS. PBS. (Pedestrians, Bikers, Speed).” (Watch out for pedestrians, bikers and going over the speed limit she explains.)
Another friend, a talented poet, puts her literary skills to work. “I think in rhymes,” she relates:
Keys, glasses, sunscreen, phone
Keys, glasses, sunscreen, phone
Don’t ever leave any of these
At home!
Another friend, an innovative interior designer, with an expert eye for beautiful objects, keeps it practical. “I don’t need rhymes,” she airily declares. “I have a finely rendered, high quality ceramic bowl on a stunning black credenza near my front door. Guess what I keep in it? My keys, glasses, sunscreen and phone.”
The Jewish holiday of Passover arrives.
My husband and I fly to Connecticut for the Seder with our extended family, including four of our five sons and their families. My daughter-in-law Jenny graciously hosts.
It’s a rare occurrence to have all of our eight grandkids together in one place. They range in age from 20 months to 17 years so too their range of activities is broad. And it’s a huge challenge to assemble them for a family photo. I usually end up utilizing most of my time trying to finagle how to get all of them to stop what they are doing, assemble in one place, sit still for one minute and take a picture.
This year I released myself from that mode of behavior.
I decided to let the picture go. The frame will remain blank.
I decide instead to simply enjoy watching my grandchildren interact with each other and various other family members throughout the evening.
The picture is not on my phone, to be printed out days later and framed. The picture is in my head. And with my new skills of keeping mentally sharp to remember stuff, that’s where it will stay.
It’s in a silo in my mind I named QFT (Quality Family Time).
It’s a heart expanding rhyme:
The world may be chaotic
But we’re together tonight
Sharing age old rituals
Spreading cheer and light
And I keep it practical. I stash away my phone, clear my mind of distractions, bounce the little ones on my knees and strike-up meaningful conversations with the older ones.
I simply stay present in the moment – and days later – due to my laser focusing on the here and now, I have little difficulty remembering all that good stuff I experienced at the Seder – even without the picture.
Keep Preserving Your Bloom,