This week, we welcome the brilliant Jane Clare as our guest blogger. She's one funny mummy over at the brilliant blog, The Postmodern Mammy.
And there I was. Staring unblinking into the abyss of time yawning out in front of me. Unending and unfurling in front of my eyes like one of those odd shapes from an early nineties dance video. This happens every time I forget my wallet. And that happens a lot. I would say daily, but I don’t go to the shop that often.
This started happening on my first as soon as the bump appeared, and such was the extent of the memory loss I failed to connect the two. I also failed to connect the deterioration in my already damaged memory when I had my second. The reason for the memory loss was now so obvious it was then even clear to me. However, the mystery deepened when I began to wonder just where it had gone.
It had just disappeared. That place in your brain where you store, names, places, things you need in the shop. Poof! Gone. I was now reduced to sentences such as, you know, in that place! Where we met that person, and that thing happened! It was fun… I think. Sometimes, I like to think about where it has gone. Most often when I am pacing the car park for the fourth time. I hold my head high as I pass the security guard on my way out. Would it be too much to wave now? I do feel like I know him. Who doesn’t walk car parks for fun? I certainly do. I had walked to the shop. And there it was when I returned home, nice and safe in the driveway, my trusty blue Peugeot.
The strategies that I have employed to combat such situations are as follows:
- Repeating things
- Lists
- Writing on my hand
- Word association
Nothing works, I trust it will come back eventually. On the upside, life is now certainly more interesting, and I have learned to embrace my lack of coherence. This mystery remains unsolved for the moment, but I take comfort in the notion that even Sherlock would struggle with this one.
Jane is a freelance writer based in Dublin; she recently left the NGO sector to pursue a career in writing. She has two children and runs the Postmodern Mammy blog when not mammying. She has also been published and may one day get around to a book. Catch up with her on Twitter or Facebook. 
