I suspect I have probably written before how taking on too much can affect how efficiently my post stroke brain works. On the whole, over the past few years, I have found out how to manage this. Occasionally there are still blips and often I record these ‘brain farts’ as I find them comical – when I realise what I have done.
I have discovered that the heat also takes its toll on my capacity to think straight. I know that many people struggle in the heat, as do I, in terms of physically finding it difficult. In these searing temperatures, I would think that most people are affected in some way or another.
But my brain deciding it just doesn’t want to play? Come on, that’s a bit out of order. What happened? Here comes the tale.
It was my daughter’s birthday a couple of days ago. I proudly took myself to our local shopping centre – on the bus – and walked around the shops looking for a suitable present. I found a dress that I thought she would like. It was a simple sundress affair which I thought would work well for her holiday coming up soon.
I bought it, took it home, hung it up on the wardrobe door so that it wouldn’t get creased, planning to wrap it shortly before I gave it to her. The daughter who lives with me much of the time came to look at it. ‘That’s nice,’ she said. ‘I’m sure she will love it.’ Her forehead wrinkled a little, a puzzled expression on her face.
‘Don’t you have a dress like this Mom?’
I thought about this. ‘No.’
‘I’m sure you bought one just like this for yourself a couple of weeks ago.’
‘No I didn’t’.
She was adamant, so I confidently told her she was welcome to look through my wardrobe. She did, and produced a simple sundress…
Startled – I didn’t know that dress was in there, I certainly don’t remember buying it nor wearing it – I exclaimed that it was not the same. It had a different neck line.
She turned the dress around. Yes it was exactly the same. We both startled to chuckle, me rather sheepishly.
‘The funny thing is,’ she said. ‘I was with you when you bought it. The next time we went to the same shop, you tried to buy it again, till I reminded you then that you already had it.’
I now felt a bit awkward. I had bought my daughter a birthday present that I already owned, and apparently I had bought her something that I liked myself, rather than something I had chosen for her.
‘The good thing, Mom,’ she said, ‘is that you’ve got her something you really like. She will love it.’
And the intended recipient when she opened her present? Yes, she loved it.
Hey-ho – the brain’s a funny old thing. On the plus side, I have a strappy dress that will work well in this heat.
Portland Jones
Accessibility Liaison for Pagan Federation Midlands