Read these funny examples of momentary memory lapses and see if you can relate to any of them:
– While sorting out the garage, a man spent 10 minutes looking for something
to tie a bunch of tie-wraps together.
– A woman making chicken soup simmered the carcass for hours with lots of
vegetables. Then, when it was all nice and tasty, she grabbed a colander
and poured all the liquid down the sink. She just stood there for about
5 minutes, staring at the bones trying to remember what the next step in
soup-making was.
– Sam recently went to a gas station near his apartment with the intention of
buying gas. It was a rare occasion, as he actually had cash (he normally
paid for everything on debit). He walked up to the station and gave the
man $10. Sam then proceeded to walk back to his car, get inside, and
drive away. It was several minutes later, on the highway, that he
realized that he hadn’t actually pumped any gas. Sam was too ashamed
to go back.
– A harried mom went to the bank and tried to make a deposit. The teller in
training said she couldn’t find the account. The mom began to get
irritated. I always seem to get the new guy, she thought. The mom
asked them to search by her name. Still nothing. Then the mom realized
she was at the wrong bank.
I don’t think any of these hilarious incidents happened to senior citizens. Yet, more often than not, they’re characterized as “senior moments.”
Regardless of age, fatigue and/or stress, or being pregnant, anyone who multi-tasks a lot can experience momentary memory lapses we laughingly call “senior moments” or “brain farts” or “having a blond moment” or “being a space cadet.” Being distracted by anything can cause a momentary memory lapse whether it’s traffic, a crying baby, or trying to do too many things at once. Have you ever gotten up and walked into another room only to forget why you headed there in the first place? It makes me feel crazy but it happens to everyone, not just seniors.
Our fast-paced society probably increases the chances of having senior moments. Multitasking makes it harder to retain facts because we’re not giving any one piece of information our undivided attention. Also, the fatigue and stress that many of us experience because we’re overworked reduce our ability to concentrate and pay attention to details. So, you see, it’s not all about being older. Seniors don’t have a lock on the momentary memory lapse market!
Obviously if you’re over 65 and you routinely are experiencing memory loss, you should contact your physician. I don’t mean to make complete light of this issue, but I did want to show that the senior citizen population hardly has the memory loss market totally captured. Personally, I think we should come up with a better term for forgetting things due to an over-amped lifestyle. Got any suggestions?
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