I make no excuses for this.
It’s me. Always has been.
There are times when the bits and pieces of useless information stay with me for eternity, while more important knowledge flies into the Bermuda Triangle five minutes after it’s been assimilated.
I chuckled to myself last week when one of my employees former employees called to ask directions in forwarding phone calls.
Her extremely detailed directions were not working.
Ummm…
*thinking, thinking, thinking*
Nope, this tidbit from a past life was lost at sea.
I could offer hope, however, in responding that it’s not that difficult, there are only a few steps, and directions are on my desk former desk, near the phone. If my life had counted on knowing the specifics, I’d be dead right now.
It made me realize that much of what I know, what I learned on the job, may one day be a hazy thought or not a thought at all. I was also texting with my boss former boss last week who stated, “You should have said something about how onerous (burdensome) HR is…”
Ummm…
*eye-rolling, eye-rolling, eye-rolling*
Obviously, he had been in the Bermuda Triangle the last few years in regard to HR, but more likely had his own responsibilities to mull over, to remember. I’m guessing that he will not soon forget this time, but he may forget the next step in the hiring process.
As for me, that’s something I hope eventually drifts into haziness, much like pandemics, face masks and Zoom meetings.
If I can remember my own name, where I live and that I need to get dressed before I go out, I’ll be fine.
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Mary J Melange 
I hear you! I went into do a study and ran into a grad student – and I could not remember their name! This was an individual I had worked closely with for several years… I guess my brain decided that that info wasn’t necessary any more and pitched it!
Remembering names can be killer. I once called a friend, got her voice mail, and then was not able to say her name. It was like a “short” in my brain. I had to apologize to her later, but we both had a good laugh over it.
Speaking for myself, I don’t remotely try to remember my HR past. I just wave at it and move on to something way more fun which could even be watching paint dry or water boil. 🙂
Ha! Yes, Judy, that might be more fun. Thankfully, I don’t think about HR other than to feel extremely grateful and blessed that I can boil water for eggs when I would have otherwise been working.
You will fill your brain with new and better stuff, but yeah, put some clothes on before you go out.
Will do, Dan. Remembering to brush my hair may be a different story…
You can play the retiree card whenever necessary.
Good to know! 🙂
I have forgotten a lot of things from my past and often have to forgive the rest, but at least when winter comes I find it easier to remember to put on clothes.
Definitely, Frank. A chill in the air is a great protaganist for warm clothing.
Let’s start this right. Hello. What day is today ? Now that that is out of the way…
Funny you should ask. For a few seconds, I thought it was Saturday. But I think it’s really Wednesday. Or is it Columbus Day?
Let me make sure I have my pajamas on and I will get right back to you….
Lol, okay! Waiting…
I don’t know if it’s the age thing, menopause-related brain fog, or the fact that I count on technology to remember stuff… but I am in the same boat as you. My memory banks are teflon – nothing sticks.
LOL, we need sponges for our memory banks, and I think it’s all of those things, Maggie – age, menopause, a reliance on technology (I have a hard time with phone numbers and birthdays) and also stress. It all adds up, so I say just drink more adult refreshment and forget about it.
I heartily endorse your solution. Cheers!
Ha! That sounds like me. I used to say “I have a brain for trivia, but not a trivial brain.” Although these days, I’m not so sure that is still true. Love the Triangle meme. Have a great week. Hugs on the wing.
It’s always comforting to know that I am not alone in my memory lapses. It’s a very special club with special people, Teagan! Purrs on the fur!
Oh I get the Bermuda Triangle idea of lost information. I’m like that, too. And really I’m to a point where I’m happy that lots of once important now trivial information is gone from my brain. It’s so much calmer in there now.
I get it, Ally. It’s been only three weeks since my last work day and my brain already feels rested and far less stressed.
How nice to say former. I’m ready for my turn. 😊
It will be a really wonderful thing when you can do that.
Me too!
Ah yes, the Abyss of my Memory is a strange place indeed too. Some things can be recalled with startling Clarity, usually the most useless stuff sticks and the more important details are erased, almost instantly now. I don’t remember a damned thing from my Corporate Lives in the way of how the Work was done, other than I’m glad I’m no longer in the Corporate Grind and somebody else has to Deal with it all. However, that said, some of the most horrific files stick with me, stuff I’d rather forget… especially from my Career working for the D.A.’s Office. Once seen or heard tho’, you can’t unsee and unhear any of it and you just hope those details will fade away eventually with the other stuff that vanished from memory. It’s great to be able to say Former…
It’s good that you are enjoying former employee status! As someone who worked in a correctional agency, I have also read horrible and unseemly material that has stuck with me. Not quite as awful now, but I would gladly trade it for remembering more valuable information.
Oh Mary, I am right in there with you. I have always had a creative brain and thought myself just too dim to be brilliant at remembering calculations, detailed instructions or real map reading. I preferred to be painting, writing, photography. But I could drive straight from my home to our family friends two states away without a map! I remembered the turns, the landmarks, the road signs. It’s just the details. I can learn processes but once they are no longer necessary, they slip away. I believe, over time, our brains have to push some things out to make room for new things. 😊
I am much better at remembing directions than remembering details of something that is no longer important to me. As a creative mind, Cheryl, you bring joy into the world that is not available though calculations and details.
🤗💕
Haha..I could so relate to the Bermuda triangle reference.😋
Great minds forget alike! 😉
🙌🙌🙌🙌Amen to that thought!🤗
You’re not alone Mary …. I knew every single piece of the stupid Governmental papers which needed to be filled in, completed, date stamped, and which basket or department that bit of paper had to go to. I remember the code to the safe, and the complicated calculations which I had to do and which I knew by heart and could do them without any help or calculator.
However … now … I remember only where those dozens of papers used to ‘live’. I could walk back into that office and put them all in the right order, right place, and what went with what.
But I can’t remember even the beginning of the calculations let alone be able to do them — nor the code to the safe. I can’t remember ANY of the extension numbers for all the departments I needed to contact at some point in a working week.
I think our brains just switch off, power down and let go of the information that we no longer are required to store. Our brains have this wonderful way of having a clear out of those things which are no longer useful or give us joy.
Isn’t it a shame that we don’t learn something from this, and clean out our closets, wardrobes, drawers, book shelves (although I could never part with a book – they’re like children!) …. and generally do the clearing out that our brains do!
I think you’re brilliant Mary. Don’t fret over this carp, because that’s all it is now. It’s carp.
(and besides … after the shabby way they treated you, you owe them nothing. Tell ’em to clear off!)
Love you oodles ~ Cobs. xxx
Oh, I’m sorry if you thought by my writing that the workplace treated me badly. On the contrary, I was very blessed to work with some amazing and very wonderful people. It’s that my boss didn’t realize the amount of work involved with HR, which is justifiable because he relied on me to take care of it all. He just had a bit of an eye-opener.
I was planning on cleaning out the walk-in closet again because it’s like the sock drawer – doesn’t take much for it to get messy again. Time to give a donation to Goodwill. I probably shouldn’t tell you, though, that I took a bag of books to a local retailer who buys back used books. I had no room for them, but that gave me an excuse to finally buy a Kindle.
Love and squidges to you, Cobs!