People who think that old coots have zero memories are wrong! It\u2019s true that we aren\u2019t as sharp as we once were, but our memories are not really that bad (except for names of people and places). We do suffer from a chronic illness that makes us appear more forgetful than we really are. It\u2019s called \u201cthe do-it-right-now\u201d syndrome.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the exact opposite of the syndrome we had when we were teenagers. I know; it\u2019s hard to believe that an old coot like me was ever a teenager, but I was. And, just like today\u2019s teens, I suffered from \u201cthe put-it-off-until-the last-minute\u201d syndrome back then. Now, I do the opposite.<\/p>\n
I walk into the living room to get the newspaper for my wife and spot a smudge on the mirror. My \u201cdo it right now\u201d disease sends me back to the kitchen to get a bottle of Windex and a paper towel. But on the way, a screwdriver I was using earlier to fix a loose doorknob attracts my attention. I bend over to pick it up, and the trip to the kitchen for window cleaner flies right out of my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s the paper,\u201d my wife asks when I pass her on my way to the garage to put the screwdriver away.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight here,\u201d I reply, and hand her the screwdriver. <\/p>\n