The character I like the most in "Finding Nemo" is Dory, the little blue fish. Dory is the fish with short term memory loss. She sometimes forgets who you are after a couple of minutes.
Dory's problem might seem worrying to most around. But to me she was able to live life every moment. She gets introduced to the same person time and time again. Every relationship is experienced newly every moment.
Oh! now why am I talking about Dory here?
It's because I am becoming more and more like her. I never had a great memory for remembering people and their names. It does hit me vaguely that I have seen this person before. But I can never recollect the name most of the times. This problem has increased manifolds now.
I, in fact, goofed up on some introductions I had to make at work. Took a newcomer to a team lead to introduce her to him. But I always have been confused with one more person there who is the same height and who speaks in Tamil. So, I walked right into the wrong cubicle, not stopping for one moment to read the name tag attached to the cubicle, made him stand up with a Hi, stared at his shaven head for a brief moment thinking that something was strange, and made the introductions. He looked baffled. But nice enough not to get furious at being pulled out from a brief meeting in his cubicle and introduced to a person whom he was not having a clue about. After making the introductions, I got intelligent enough to verify his name. Lo and behold! He pointed to another cubicle and said that the “he” whom I was looking for was the "him" out there. I apologized profusely, grinned sheepishly, walking stupidly, and made the introductions again to the right person-name combination.
Later, I sat with my hand on my head worried about my fading memory. A colleague asked me with concern what happened to me. I told him I goofed up with the introductions and was worried that I was forgetting faster. He just laughed and said "You are growing old Madam"! I gave him a stare and then smiled. It's okay, I told myself.
Is it really the age? Do people start losing control of their memory cells when you near the forties? A smart doctor replied, "Mam, you are multi-tasking". He joined my gang narrating that he thinks of another patient when he is treating one and he starts losing track of what medicines he prescribed too. Dangerous for a doctor! Anyway, he did not bring the age factor there. Sweet enough to earn a sugary smile from me :-)
I know I get mixed up with directions. I get muddled up when I am bombarded with too many questions at the same time. I alter names, I forget dates, and I don’t remember addresses or phone numbers.
Ram tells me that my mind is selectively forgetting. But am I? Sometimes I do wonder if I am stepping into the world of the forgettors (club of like-absent-minded people). Though I am scared, I am happy too. I will forget incidents that bothered me, people who hurt me, experiences that scared me. But I will also forget the moments in my life that tasted like honey, people who made me feel like a princess, and events that made my heart burst with joy.
So this why I like Dory. One day, I might stare at you and ask you if I knew I before. Don’t be hurt. Start introducing yourself to me all over again :-)
Forgetting the taste of my favorite ice cream, Fig and Honey...
Let's keep swimming,
Kalps
