Memory: now a team effort

May 1, 2012

I was going through a girlfriend’s full refrigerator the other day to help her organize and found what looked like a beautiful red sauce for pasta. (She’s also of Italian descent; red sauce is a staple in our fridges.)

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Oh, G, made it for me and it looks delicious. I need to freeze it for later.”

We went about our day together: appointments, the drug store, getting gas.

Pumping legs on the treadmill the next morning, that red sauce came to mind, apropos of nothing.

Ok, maybe I was thinking of the lunch that awaited me after the gym, and that it wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as pasta with that gorgeous sauce.

I was also thinking that with so much going on for her, she might not have remembered to freeze it.

Still on the treadmill, I picked up my phone and texted my friend.

Don’t forget to freeze that red sauce, I swiped on the keyboard.

A response appeared instantly: Thanks for reminding me.

No sweat, I swiped. At our age, memory is a team effort.

And it is.  As I age, the number of little reminder notes around the house increases. What’s also increased is the number of times I lose a train of thought, or just can’t get the right word off the tip of my tongue.

As each year passes, I wonder if our brains just get overly full with minutia. If people in simpler cultures have this same problem with remembering. Or if a simpler life with less to remember means we seem sharper.

I don’t know. What do you think?

One comment on “Memory: now a team effort
  1. GoodApple says:

    I would imagine that it doesn’t matter across cultures. If we don’t keep our minds active, then we remember with less precision. I guess it’s a good excuse to keep playing those word games and crossword puzzles. 🙂

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