When you get to be a certain age and you forget something, the tendency is not to think it’s amnesia but rather Alzheimer’s or something equally horrible. Many of my friends and acquaintances make an excuse or preface a story with the words – “it must be early Alzheimer’s” – then we all shiver and laugh nervously. Any kind of dementia is a terrible life sentence, the more so because there seems to be so little that can be done about it.
I got myself into bed last night, all comfy and cosy . . . . . . . . . . remember the long night-time list a couple of days ago? Anyway, it suddenly dawned on me that I had totally forgotten to write a blog post. In actual fact, I have missed two days not just one. Way back in October I set myself the challenge to write the blog every day for three weeks. The reasoning went that doing something as simple as that would show me whether or not I was destined to be a continuing blogger or not. At the time I decided that I wouldn’t worry about content, that what really mattered was making the “entry of the day” – and to do it as openly and honestly as possible. However, as time goes on, there is a little spirit of competitiveness that pops its head up wanting to be noticed. It starts to become important to be funny, or insightful or philosophical. . . . . . in fact any of those worthy types of comment or post that makes people think.
Then what happens ?. . . . . . . . . instead of being a pleasure it becomes a task, and after a couple of days it can become a chore, because after all, what have I got to say that is of interest to anyone? And who is going to read it after all? My hope is that in generations to come some of my descendants will want to connect with who they are and where they come from, then it becomes a short leap to researching one retired relative left lying in cyberspace. In addition to that I hope that sometimes a reader will stumble upon the blog and recognise a kindred spirit, or see a cause for hope, or even just enjoy a sense of belonging.
So – day be day I shall try to share my thought or thoughts for the day. The what is really happening in Dalamory. Then, gradually, we all of us – writer and readers – become a part of social history.
I am an appreciative reader.
Heard a line in one of the daft American series which is watched in this house. It was regarding Alzheimer’s and the comment was that the person was not suffering from Alzheimer’s but a case of Halfheimer’s. This stuck with me and am now thinking there may such a thing as Halfnesia!
There are millions of us doing this, maybe not every day but often enough to present a picture. Not always of any interest and rarely worth preserving, but there it is, for what it’s worth.
I wonder why I do this, I often feel like simply packing it in, but it seems to have become a habit. Perhaps continuing with it can ward of dementia for a few more years? After all, there is some little effort involved in all of this.
I wonder what it would be like to be writing a blog when one suffers from dementia.
Write when you can, and when you can’t take a break. Dianne
Sensible advice, dianne, about writing when you can. My trouble is that I could all too easily give up altogether. So I suppose I’ll keep trying for a while longer. Maybe it will help stave off the roots of dementia.