Friday, March 29, 2024

Remembering the Forgetting

I confess. I am a daydreamer, but not usually as obviously as in this case.

We were watching The Voice, which I almost just called American Idol, although I haven't seen that program for years.

Suddenly, the emcee was asking the coach to choose the winner of a battle round.

What?!

I had to ask Sue if they had sung already because I missed it. Even though I was sitting right there the whole time.

Yes, they had sung. Not only that, but the various coaches had also offered their critiques before I awoke from my reverie.

I had missed it all, for my mind was elsewhere.

It wasn't so much daydreaming but thinking about the pros and cons of something that I might or might not do. At least I know what I had been thinking about. lol

This happened once before, quite a long time ago as a matter of fact.

Sue had sat me down to listen to a specific song. When we got to the end, Sue asked me what I thought about it. I had to tell her that I forgot to listen because my mind had been busy on one of its excursions.

The song was Emily Remembers, about a friend who had lost her memory, due to Alzheimer's. I'll post this poignant song below. How odd and yet fitting that I had forgotten to listen to a song about remembering.



The Last Stanza (lyrics here)

If she forgets that I’m her best friend
and how inseparable we were
If she forgets how much she needs me
I remember it for her
if she forgets how much she loves me
I remember it for her

 


 

26 comments:

  1. Ah ha. Your thought process is triggered by trying to listen to songs, or so it seems. I don't listen well to things, but sure like songs that I like - selective listening!

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  2. It just means you were absent minded. Very common, even for kids!!!

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  3. Too many things going on in your head. ;-)

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  4. That made me cry. Beautiful, heartfelt song.

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  5. Oh, that song. Heartbreaking.
    I sometimes found that when driving home from work I would not recall long stretches of the drive. It was kinda scary because I wondered what might have happened if another driver did something screwy. Or was as spaced out as I was.

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  6. A few tears here from the song. My husband’s uncle has Alzheimer’s now. He is always wondering when he is going home. This song speaks volumes!

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  7. What a very very beautiful song. Thank you for bringing it to me. And, yes, forgetting can be frightening while we know we are doing it. It is understandable to think that we are on the way to senility when we do stuff like that.
    if is is any comfort, we are all in the same boat. Not rudderless, not without oars. I lose proper nouns. So did my father who died at 85, intellect intact. So does my daughter, age 56, intellect frighteningly sharp.
    My mother used to get so exasperated with my father not listening because his mind was elsewhere that she would write down her information and make him sign it and date it. They love one another dearly, I hasten to add.

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  8. Lovely song. I do that all the time, forget to listen to something I'm listening to. :-)

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  9. @MaryG: Thanks for the reassurance. I stumble over nouns often. And yet, out of the blue, Sue will recall something from decades ago, and a name will pop out. Just today, the old tv show, Highway Patrol, was mentioned. Right away, the actor’s name. Broderick Crawford, popped out. This is from a show that I watched several times in the 50s. This also happens quite a lot.

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  10. I think we are very lucky to be the sort who are prone to mental excursions as you call them. Enjoy yours

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  11. This is what I love about the DVR, I am constantly going back 10 seconds to see what I missed!

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  12. I tend to watch these reality shows while I process my photos on the software. Not something I want to pay too much attention to.

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  13. World would be pretty boring without daydreaming every so often.

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  14. Short term memory is in short supply around here.

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  15. It seems like getting lost in a reverie would be difficult to do so why is it so easy? I sometimes do this while driving--which is probably not good!

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  16. Heavy topic...
    nice song.
    A hug for you. And yes, a little daydreaming is good. Simply because we can no longer do everything the way we wanted to or used to be able to :-)
    However - we remain happy... anyway!
    A hug for you. If you celebrate Easter - happy Easter :-)))
    I have a loaf of bread in the oven and when I pull it out we'll go visit a castle and eat ice cream... 20 degrees today - only today!!!
    Hug

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  17. A poignant song. As for daydreaming--I think that with age, we have so many memories and so much knowledge that it's easy to stay happily occupied in our own minds, to the exclusion of external stimuli.

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  18. That sometimes happens when I'm driving - although I try not to let it. I reach somewhere and have no recollection of the journey at all.

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  19. A beautiful song. I lost a good friend of over 50 years this week. The last time we talked on the phone she asked if I had visited her. I said yes, and she apologized for not remembering. I assured it that was OK because I remembered.

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  20. Big smiles about the forgetting the song on remembering!

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  21. AC, I contacted Lorna's husband and he confirmed that it was an Alzheimer's diagnosis she was hinting at when she was still blogging. He says she's doing all right but not able to blog or do much online anymore. -Kate

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  22. I can sympathize. I have a similar problem, but not exactly the same. During the movie or TV program or whatever, I typically ... fall asleep!

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  23. Oh gosh... Your song made me cry. I'm living it with my mom right now.

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  24. Sitting with my hospice client, I had to assure him that we keep mixing up words, or are unable to retrieve them! Such is life.
    I often ditz out when JB is talking! 😜

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  25. Oops! I thought I commented here.
    Thank you for sharing that song. It made me tear up because that's what I'm going through with my mom. I sent your song along to several friends and relatives who are going through the same thing.

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  26. Both Tim and I have begun to notice our own forgetfulness. It is mutual. We will navigate the fog holding hands, I guess.

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