Forgetfulness

I hate when I forget things. It drives me crazy and is a complete waste of time when it requires you to double back for them.

As I’ve been getting older, I’ve discovered that two types of forgetting exist. The first kind is simply aggravating. It is of the nature of when you forget to take something with you as you run out the door. You knew you needed to take it and realize your mistake soon after you leave.

The second kind of forgetting is a bit more scary and shocking. It is when you don’t even conceive of needing the item, until you get to where you are going. This type of forgetting means you didn’t even think of taking the item when you walked out of the door. This has been happening to me more often lately.

I have started to compensate for this by leaving things right in front of the door to my house. This serves two purposes. The first is that I can’t avoid the item as I leave, the second serves as a way to trip any burglars that try to enter my home.

Sometimes this method works for me, sometimes it doesn’t. While I was in Lake Placid to do the Ironman, I had left my wetsuit on a hanger, right next to all of my transition bags. This stuff was right as I walked out the door and couldn’t be missed. That didn’t stop me from walking down to the start of the race without my wetsuit. Fortunately, I was walking down to the start with a friend who asked if I had my wetsuit with me. I was completely shocked when I realized I forgot it – I didn’t even think of taking it with me as it wasn’t even a thought in my brain.