Just think of it–when a person reaches my age, what a large amount of experiences and wisdom said person gains! All of it finds a little nook or cranny in my brain and lodges there. The longer one lives, the more experiences and wisdom, the more nooks and crannies are bulging with neat stuff. What to do with it?
I’d like to share it with the younger generation or perhaps those of my generation who would benefit. And, believe me, I try. An astounding thing is that no one seems overly impressed or excited or grateful for my generosity in sharing. In fact, I’m afraid sometimes they tune me out, to use an old radio term.
Instead of grateful responses like, “Amazing! I didn’t know that.” Or, “Who knew?” Or, “Thank you so much. That will give me a life purpose.” Or, “Oh, my goodness, Granny, how’d you get to be so smart?” These are some of the responses with which my generosity is met: “I know. You’ve told me before.” “Haven’t you heard? That hypothesis was disproven long ago.” Or, worse yet, blank looks or silence or a yawn.
I know such ingratitude is hard to believe, but there it is! So, since I can’t share a whole lot of this information or lessons learned or varied and sundry experiences, my brain is faced with the problem of overcrowding. The only answer is to discard some of it to make room for more. Now, when someone mentions something I should remember, I’ll say, “Huh!” “I didn’t know that.” “Are you sure?” Or I’ll give them this blank stare.
Lest I get a reputation for being forgetful, let me say I haven’t forgotten a thing. I’ve just deleted some of the older stuff to make room for more. And probably, that’s how the false label of being forgetful got stuck onto people past the age of fifty. I have to be discriminating in what I choose to retain in my memory vault. There’s simply not room for it all. Due to overcrowding.
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Right there with you, Blanche! That’s what I love about peer groups! : )
Right! Peer groups are great!
So true! My brain is overflowing too. Just remember: we are the generation that has gone through the most changes so if we say that we’ve forgotten more than the younger generation will ever know – that’s a fact!
Boy! That’s true, Sharon. The younger generations will never know about so many things that were commonplace to us. I just hope these young ones can take the old-fashioned virtues with them into this brave, new world!
Great picture Blanche! You look soooo youthful! But I agree as well, we’re not forgetful, just
choosy in what we remember!
Thanks, Peg. Well, of course I look youthful. After all, twenty-one isn’t that old! Heh. Now if I could just poke all the unpleasant memories into a folder and delete them and keep all the happy ones! But then, I guess the not-so-good memories were a learning experience and perhaps they contribute to wisdom more than the happy ones do. D’you think so?