Delayed Recall

Delayed recall. If you are nearing the age of 60 remember these words, delayed recall. The term delayed recall will help you feel better about not being able to remember something when you cannot for the life of you remember it. I'm talking about something that you should remember--like the name of a good friend, your pastor, one of your physicians or maybe a grandchild. 

I don't know how many times I have been embarrassed because I could not remember someone's name. I really don't forget the name. I am experiencing delayed recall. I will be able to to tell you the name, but not right now. It will come to me! I don't know when but when it does I will let you know. Actually there are many times that I experience delayed recall. Someone might ask, "Where did you and Sherri eat last night?" I know exactly where I ate, but sometimes when I am asked a question out of the blue like that without warning, I panic and go blank. There again the curse of not being able to remember strikes me, and I stand there staring into space as though the name of the restaurant will appear somewhere out there. When this happens I can easily explain that I know where we ate but at the moment I am experiencing delayed recall. The food was very good and I do recommend the place. As soon as I recall the name I will tell you. 

Sometimes my recall system goes haywire. We have lived in so many different places that street addresses run together. Our current address is still a bit fresh in my mind since we have only lived here less than a year. There have been a few times when asked to give my Raleigh address that I have started to give a compilation of the addresses of the last two places we've lived--delayed recall. So far I have finally been able to give the correct address to whoever asks where I live. I think Sherri and I have lived in too many places, been in too many churches, met too many people and have had too much on our minds. We are both forced to plead delayed recall way too often. The good news is that one of us is usually able to think of what it is that the other one cannot remember.

I have told this story before, but I think now is a good time to tell it again. Sherri and I were going to get something to eat one evening when we lived in Northern Kentucky. As we drove toward several eating places we were trying to decide which place to eat.

Sherri said, "Why don't we eat at Ben Thomas?"

I started trying to figure out where that was. "Ben Thomas, I don't think I have ever heard of Ben Thomas", I said. Then it came to me. There is no restaurant named Ben Thomas. "Do you mean Bob Evans?", I asked.

"That's it! Bob Evans!, Sherri exclaimed. She was so excited.

No need to fret when you can't remember something that is very obvious to most normal people. The loss of memory is only temporary. Really, you are not experiencing forgetfulness. You are only having a moment of delayed recall. It is most common to those of us who are known as senior citizens. Get used to it. Delayed recall will be your constant companion. I just hope I don't come to the point where I can't recall delayed recall.