Just Keep Swimming

I have come to the realization that I have a terrible memory, namely my short term memory to the point where I cannot remember what I thought ten minutes ago, let alone what happened a few days ago.

It came abundantly evident the other night when a good friend and I were parking the car and we were interrupted in conversation by collecting the ticket. The slight pause in conversation led us both to have a mental blank and we completely forgot what we were talking about. Gazing into space we tried to think of the topic, and both looked at each and burst into laughter. Our collective short term memories were hopeless.

Both of us admitted our memories were like sieves, most information fell by the wayside and not much of it was retained. We both admitted we forgot names, stories, events and discussions that happened up to a week prior. It can be detrimental and downright embarrassing especially when it comes to meeting new people. You can be regarded as rude or insensitive to your immediate surroundings. I have forgotten many a persons name whenever I’ve been introduced to people, and although I know chances are that I’ll never see them again, I would still like to try to remember their name.

My situation has become so ridiculous that the other week I was talking to someone about my weekend. Not only could I not remember what I did, which was watching a movie, but I couldn’t remember who I was with, what film it was and the actors in the film. It stumped me for the better part of a day.

While my memory is faltering, it’s pretty clear that some friends have memories like elephants. One close friend can recall the insignificant and inane discussions and events that happened ten years with such explicit detail, you’d wonder if he filmed the occasion knowing he’d speak about it a decade later.

So although my memory is like that of a goldfish for the short term, it seems most people have issues for remembering things whether it be long-term or short-term. It’s annoying, particularly if you want to remember something in particular, but I guess we can follow Dory’s advice and “Just keep swimming”.