LETTERS: WHEN MEMORY FAILS

To the editor:

Have you either gone upstairs or to the basement to get something and, once you were there, stood there for awhile wondering what it was you were going to get?

If that happens when one is young, you can rest assured that the problem increases with the passage of years. One sure sign that one is getting a little older comes when one has trouble remembering which day it is. You can probably remember your own birthday, but can you remember the birth dates of friends to whom you should send greetings or a gift?

Several years ago I was asked about my wife's birthday. I gave a wrong date. She was quite surprised when she received several cards on the wrong date. That is probably not as bad as telling others that she is older than she actually is.

Why do so many things of yesteryear still stay so clearly in mind when perhaps one can't even remember what one had for dinner yesterday, unless for dietary reasons one possible follows the same menu? I can still recite verses of poetry I learned many years ago: "My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky." (William Wordsworth)

Did you ever forget to attend a meeting which was very important? Have you ever forgotten to appear at a meeting at which you were to give a speech? That can be very embarrassing. Have you ever forgotten your own address or telephone number?

I assume that memory, like hearing, can be selective, since there are events which one doesn't want to remember. There are many events which should be placed in memory even though many developments in technology can allow us to store things in memory, lest we forget. That is still a good phrase to remember, since there are things which should solidly be locked in memory. Remember the birthdays of the children, important anniversaries, including your wedding date, even though in today's world it seems for many to have less significance.

It is still wise to remember what is eternally good and valuable, including which day of the week it is, or to remember if you have any money in the bank or other values worth remembers. There was something else I was going to say, but I can't remember it.

IVAN NOTHDURFT

Cape Girardeau