Can We Talk 2

Am I Losing My Mind?

                   Maybe senility is not that far off for me. I am becoming more disorganized than ever. I can't find anything. I am currently in an embarrassing predicament. And I'm wondering if my mind is going away a little early.

         Oh, there might be a bit of laziness creeping into the mixture. I've never been this slow to get things done, have never lost so much, or been so inefficient. I have so many distractions. And I feel overwhelmed a lot.But I'm spending more time watching TV news and texting, which means I'm sitting a lot. So I may just be getting lazy as well as senile.

         I am a church clerk, which means I take notes at business meetings and other things. Meetings generally occur four times a year, which sounds like a soft deal. But we have special called business meetings which may increase the number to eight times a year, to include selling property, hiring or dismissing a ministerial staff member (secretaries and janitors do not require this) I also have to fill out state surveys at least once a year, and correspond with other churches when people move their memberships to our church or away from our church.

         Taking notes and learning parliamentary procedure is not difficult. Typing the notes in an acceptable manner and presenting for meetings has become a major issue for me. I have less than a week to produce the minutes from the last meeting. I can't find my notes or any of the handouts from that meeting. I'm sure I have them somewhere, but where? I have gone through my computer/guest room and my bedroom and cannot find them. I am ashamed to let anyone know and have been looking desperately for over a week, less desperately before that.

         I work on Sundays, so I frequently drop off the notes at home, change and head off to work. I may not get back to them for a while. Sundays are a big day for my dad. His sons and grandchildren, and great grandchildren come to visit and eat. The kids go wild, and their parents don't watch them. My dad can't understand when they speak to him because he can't hear. But they play with him any way. I've tried to lock up my Kindle and papers. I keep my room closed and will close the guest room which someone always manages to enter anyway (to change a baby on the bed, and toddlers follow). The pre-schoolers like to draw and write. They don't understand why they can't write in any notebook they choose. Sometimes it takes me days to realize something is missing or to discover something in another room. When I get off late Sunday night, the house is a mess.

         Kids are only one possibility. My procrastination is another contributor to this problem. Granted, I've had a lot going on. I have health problems, but I'm still working. I live with my elderly, hearing impaired father who is getting more feeble and easily confused. I teach adult Bible study, sing in the choir, clerk, and cook for Dad and his company. We've had the death of a young father in the family. My brother has cancer. These things weigh on my mind. Many of the people I go to church with are elderly and are getting confused, too. Perhaps my association with them is making me a little slow.

         OK, I took a little water break and picked up the notebook by my computer, which I thought for the last month had my notes. I flipped a few more pages and there they are! I'm not a ding bat! Just a procrastinator! I will stop feeling sorry for myself now. I will stop feeling like I'm all washed up. I have some typing to do. Whew!I have a little while yet to worry about dementia.