My Forgetfulness
by Helmut Kraft

It's embarrassing for people who are middle-aged or older who forget what they have done yesterday, today or a second ago. As a youngster, I laughed secretly about the forgetfulness of my parents and the older people I came in contact with.

Now I can see many grins on my children's faces as I roam through the house trying to find items that I had in my hands moments before, but had forgotten where I had left them. I swore to myself that I should be better organized and lay things away in their proper places, to find them when needed. However, I always look first in the place where I had dropped those items.

I waste my time finding things and then when the day is over, I say to myself: the time now must go more quickly than in my youth when I could accomplish much more in a day. I have looked many times for my glasses through the house; looking twice in the same place, and after giving up and complaining to my wife about my absent mindedness, she would find the glasses in the places I had searched before.

Now the classic thing in my life is, after searching a long time for an item and finally finding it, I store it in a place that I surely would remember the next time.

Now it is lost forever. I wish that I would forget where the fridge is. That would do my health good! These are habits that I have learned over the years.

I have become dependent on my wife to find almost everything for me. Lately, my wife also has the problems that we all encounter, and we both get frustrated over a simple little matter.

I don't know how people remember names of people whom they have recently met. I have a real problem remembering names, so forgive me if I forget your name. I wrote it down, but I forgot where!

Background Information

Are you forgetful? How do you feel when you've forgotten something simple like where your keys are or maybe your glasses. Talk about aging. What are you most afraid of as you get older?

Questions

1. What is embarrassing for older people?

2. Why would Helmut laugh as a youngster?

3. What's another word for grin?

4. Where is the first place Helmut looks for his lost item?

5. Do you think Helmut is frustrated because of his forgetfulness?

6. How does he lose something a second time?

7. What is the word glasses short for in this story?

8. What is absent mindedness?

9. Why would he like to forget where the fridge is?

10. Who does he depend on to find his things?