don't forget

Some of  us might just abhor Pandora & her little box for all the reprehensible burdens we are forced to face: greed. vanity. envy. animosity. poverty. As the list perpetuates, people fail to recall one evil, which I believe is the most noxious of them all: forgetfulness. 

A month ago, I fell asleep while studying, only to find myself wake up, 8 hours later with impeccable vision. I realized, when I began to rub my eyes, that I had fallen asleep with my glasses on. Again, only a couple of weeks ago, I walked into the nice, cooling shower -- fully clothed. Oh, and let's not forget the incessant times I've gone into a room and out or opened my mouth and immediately closed it because I had forgotten my next move.

For me, "forgetting" is truly one of the most awful feelings. My eyes close tight. My diaphragm moves down a whole five inches as I take a deep breath. My heart quickens. And my temper rises as I try to think of what I was going to do. Was it important? Who was it about? Will I remember it again? Sometimes, I'm relieved (on the contrary, one of the best feelings in the world) when my brain finally answers my questions, but other times I never recall my move. Never. Ever. 

It's been 3 months since my grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, a fatal brain disorder, where brain cells die.  She's quickly losing her memory, and it's coming to a point where she can't recall how to open a door, she can't always remember my name, or she can't recognize who she is. It's scary that a person as strong, loving, and determined as my grandmother can forget everything. 

However, like the common myth alludes, Pandora left one evil inside the box: hopelessness. So, in life there's always hope. There's hope for everything to get better & certainly, there's hope for my grandmother.

-AA

p.s. - here's a link on Alzheimer's: http://www.alz.org/index.asp

*there's a memory walk coming up...just saying.