Memory Lapse Suggestions

"We cannot do everything at once but we can do something at once."
– Calvin Coolidge

In the April 15, 2014 edition of the Wall Street Journal, there was an article about memory lapses. The article was titled “Why We Keep Losing Our Keys.” Some explanations are as follows: 1. Memory lapses are the norm for all ages 2. Stress, fatigue and multitasking can make things worse, and interfere with memory 3. There is a breakdown between attention and memory 4. Forgetfulness and distraction is related to a variation in the dopamine D 2 receptor gene (DRD 2) 5. The brain keeps track of similar but distinct memories in the dentate gyrus, part of the hippo campus. In other words, the brain stores separate recordings of each environment in different groups of neurons when activated (non-identical memories are encoded and later retrieved).

Some of you might be more interested in suggestions or tips for finding lost items. Michael Solomon in his book “How to Find Lost Objects” suggests the following: 1. Don’t look for it yet (wait until you have some idea where to look) 2. It’s where it’s supposed to be (look first where the object is normally kept) 3. Domestic drift (where was the object last used? Retrace your steps) 4. Repeatedly murmur what you’re looking for 5. Camouflage effect (it’s were you thought it was, just covered up) 6. Look once, look well (don’t rummage haphazardly 7. Eureka zone (objects usually wander no more than 18 inches from their original location) 8.Que sera sera (if all else fails, employ this rarely used principal. You’re missing object may eventually just turn up.

My wife generally asks about her keys, cell phone and purse. Finding the cell phone is easy because we simply call that number. Finding the purse is not that difficult because it is a large item. It’s generally the keys, the keys, and the keys. Often, I assist her and we have success.

What are your tips for finding the misplaced articles? In any event, keep moving, smiling, laughing, bonding, loving and appreciating.