What a dope! Really!

As I get older, one thing I notice is that I'm not good at doing things in a reasonable order.

Big Example: I always write something for Bern for Christmas and she makes me something--usually paintings but once a table shaped like West Virginia! I'd finished what I wrote for her this year and went down stairs to wrap it in the dining room, Saturday night. On Sunday morning, I came downstairs to be greeted by a kiss and a "Thank  you for my Christmas present!"

I had no idea what she meant and said so.

"Well, you left it for me here," touching a tall table beside the dishwasher, "it said, 'for Bern' right on it."

I was half-way to church when I remembered I'd come down to wrap it and saw the dishwasher was finished and emptied it....Then went on to do something, having forgotten why I came downstairs in the first place and not noticing the box with the writings that said 'for Bern' on it.

What a dope. Really.

I need to have a list with me at all times.

I used to blame being an off-the-scale "Intuitive" on the Meyers/Briggs test. Intuitives are notoriously bad at doing things in the right order.

Bern is an intuitive too, though not nearly to my degree, and we once arrived at the beach for three weeks with two kids but no swim suits or towels! Intuitives need lists.

But I'm getting worse than I used to be--staring into the refrigerator not knowing why I opened the door, finding myself upstairs without knowing what I was on the way to do. Looking for my glasses long enough to sort of forget what I'm looking for...stuff like that...stuff like going to wrap a present and emptying the dishwasher instead and forgetting about wrapping the gift. Stuff like that. Going to the grocery store to buy olives and dog food and spending $40 and coming home without olives. Go figure!  What a dope doesn't go far enough.

So if you see me with a little notebook in my hand and a pen behind my ear, it's because I'm having to keep a list with me to avoid giving a Christmas present 5 days early....

Alas, poor Bern, having to live with me....