“I think you remember everything … you just can’t bring it to mind all the time.”-Edward Albee From the ‘truer words were never spoken’ category comes that quote from iconic playwright (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?)  At 54, I am noticing a bit of slippage in the memory department. I used to think it was a myth and that no way was this ‘mind over matter’ manna-fester ever going to buy into the belief that words and intended actions were going to slip into oblivion, as if beamed off the planet. Then menopause came a ’calling at nearly 50. Was I thrilled that my ‘monthly visitor’ came knocking less frequently and is now a relic of the previous 4 decades? For convenience sake, you betcha!  Did I enjoy up at all hours covers on-covers off dance?  Not so much. The good news is that as a writer, I could use that time constructively and that creative outlet also became my soporific. Did I delight in the ‘power surges’ that would take me by surprise in my staff meetings that would have me fanning myself? Working with other ‘women of a certain age’ we would joke about our own personal summers. The most challenging aspect is that this wordsmith with a formerly steel trap memory, has let some verbiage slip through the cracks. Confession time…when in front of an audience, there are moments when I am asked to repeat something I just said, so that someone could better grab hold of and digest the concept. “Nope,” I respond, since I don’t always recall what I have expressed. I call it a download, channeled from the cosmos and everyone laughs. I’m not always chuckling about it, though, wondering if that is so. I have long said that as we age, the hard drive gets full, since there are so many things we need to recall on a daily basis and the more we multi-task, the less adept we are at holding together the various strands of responsibility. That’s where keeping it simple comes in handy (KISS-I prefer Keep It Simple Sweetheart to the less kind and appealing word Stupid as is oft used). A friend who is around my age and lives with her sister, also in her 50’s have a system that they use. A few years ago, one of them had asked the other what the name was for ‘sleeping equipment.’ The other responded “pajamas?”  Yup, that was it. On their fridge, they have what they now call a pajamas list with the names of common words and their description. I have one in my head. My husband used to say I had a phonographic memory and could recall the lyrics to every song I had ever heard. These days, I need the liner notes in my head to sing along. I walk into a room and sometimes have no clue why. It is then that I need to go back from whence I came and sometimes even have to sit or stand in the spot I was in when the inspiration came to me. I have a mental check list…keys, wallet, check book, ATM card, iPhone…sanity.. before I leave the house. I place my keys in the same spot as soon as I walk in the door so I don’t need to scramble for them when it is time to exit. En route to my destination, I run through what I need to do when I arrive, particularly if it is a teaching gig that involves set up. There are times when I have multiple stops in a day. Tomorrow is a ‘four-fer’. In the morning, I am getting to be in the presence of a childhood icon, Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul and Mary as he does an appearance at a local book store in support of his new kids book I’m In Love With A Big Blue Frog, then heading off for a radio interview in support of MY work, after which I will have time with my lovely editor Pam for a swoop in meeting before flying on my own wings to the airport to scoop up my friend Reid Mihalko, relationships and sexuality educator, who is co- creator of a worldwide phenom workshop called Cuddle Party. (I’m a certified facilitator). He is coming to Philadelphia to teach a workshop on orgasm, called I’ll Have What She’s Having; which is a nod to the classic line from When Harry Met Sally. Whew….although I know how to get to all of these places, I know I will need to plug them into my mental GPS. When my mom was on hospice back in 2010, she used to tell me that she still had her marbles and I would reassure her that I would retrieve any that rolled under the couch. These days, I need to keep a grip on my own as the multi-facets of my own life which include writing, speaking, promoting, scheduling, counseling, coaching, officiating as a minister, family responsibilities, paperwork, planning a radio show that by the time you are reading this will have made its debut, as well as ‘normal people stuff’ such as cleaning, laundry, shopping, bill paying, car maintenance, social life and exercise, sometimes threaten to escape. I do many of the things that are recommended for strengthening memory such as word puzzles, listening to and making music, my gym playouts, stimulating conversation, reading and writing, deep breathing and meditation. I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs. I surround myself with mind stretching people and activities. I know I’m in good company, since I was with a friend on Friday who is a medical professional with a thriving practice, a fitness routine, who eats healthfully, seemingly sharp as a tack who expressed her own frustration as we were standing in front of a book shelf perusing its contents and now I can’t recall how the subject arose. I smiled indulgently to myself as I typed those last few words. She and I agreed that the problem wasn’t storage, but rather retrieval. I know it’s all in there; I just need to have the patience with myself until I can bring it to the surface. In the immortal words of comedian Steven Wright: “Right now I’m having amnesia and déjà vu at the same time. I think I’ve forgotten this before.” Edie Weinstein (Bliss Mistress), is an opti-mystic who sees the world through the eyes of possibility, a colorfully creative journalist, dynamic transformational speaker, interfaith minister, social worker, BLISS coach, cosmic concierge, PR Goddess, radio host (Vivid Life Radio-It’s All About Relationships) and the author of The Bliss Mistress Guide To Transforming The Ordinary Into The Extraordinary. www.liveinjoy.org

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