HAVE I EVER MET YOU BEFORE?

Blog number 249 **** 30 November 2008

I had an interesting experience today. Teresa and I went shopping at Trader Joe's, where I usually walk behind her reading a book, while she shops. In fact, today I went back by myself to look for pasta, couldn't find it because they had moved it, and when I asked a clerk where it was, she said, "Why are you shopping? Aren't you supposed to be reading?"

I wasn't reading because I couldn't see all the words in the sentences. Teresa told me years ago that when that happens, it is a sign that a small stroke in the brain is happening. It usually goes away in an hour or two, evidently when the body absorbs the leaking blood. At least that's the way I interpret it. I don't really care whether that is what is happening or not. It makes sense, and that's good enough for moi.

Today, after we had driven home and I was playing my favorite computer game - Empire, and Teresa was putting away the groceries, she told me that Tara and Joey had said that what we paid for our house was very reasonable.

Tara is our granddaughter and Joey is Tara's husband.

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. I stopped playing my game and asked her to repeat what she said. She told me again, and I could not make it out again. She started again and I said, "Wait a minute. Say that name again."

She said, "Tara."

I said, "Say it again."

She said, "Tara, Tara and Joey."

I said, "No, one word at a time. Do I know Tara?"

She said, "Yes - your granddaughter."

I still didn't get it. Everything she was saying was way beyond my comprehension. I was eventually able to understand who Tara was, but I then had to ask if she was our granddaughter. Teresa said, "Yes."

I was then able to remember who Joey was.

All this lasted about five minutes. Teresa said it scared her. I was just confused. I knew what was happening, that I was not knowing something I should have known, but that didn't help. I wish now that she would have said something about airplanes and ships or something other than names, because I think I would not have been confused about that, although I was confused about "granddaughter," so maybe I wouldn't have known what an airplane was either.

That experience was very interesting to me. Too interesting to be frustrating.

I got another taste of really old age. It was a more interesting experience than when I fell down and couldn't get up. Not as funny, though. It was like hearing about an experience and then actually experiencing that experience.

When I had vertigo and could see all the dimensions but couldn't tell what was right or left or up or down, I thought at the time there must be a lot of abilities our bodies have that we just take for granted and don't really know what they are.

My Dad's stroke when he was in his body but couldn't do anything with it was one I haven't experienced yet, but must have been most enlightening. I know he changed from being garrulous to being introspective due to the experience.

My stroke didn't feel like loss of memory. It felt more like hearing a foreign language, but also not quite like that. I told Teresa I wanted to put that experience in my Blog, but I didn't want to scare the kids. Teresa said it is what it is, and it's not a good thing to hide stuff and she's right. So here it is, kids.

Enjoy.