More On Aging (Moron Aging??)

I've done it twice now in the past 7 days. I'm beginning to worry. In fact, if it weren't so funny I just might worry.

A few days ago I left the house before dawn and walked up to the hospital. Nothing unusual there: I do it several times a week.  Difference was, I decided to set the house alarm before walking out the door. It's dark at that hour and everyone is sleeping. Perhaps it's unreasonable but sometimes I worry if Evan were to get up unbeknownst to me and try to follow me outside. Not good when it's 20 degrees. So, I set the alarm. That way, should he try to open a door, the alarm goes off. Beep, beep, beep for a minute and then, bam! the big horn and the phone rings, etc, etc.

So I grab my x-rays, grab my little to-go bowl of cereal, bundle up, set the alarm, and head out the door-- the garage door so as not to wake anyone by slamming the front door. Walking up to the hospital I feel really good about leaving my wife and son safely asleep at home and turn into the hospital drive when I stop: My glasses! I left my damn glasses on the dresser in the bedroom. Idiot!

Sooo….I walk back down the hill, open the garage door, enter the house and, Crap!, race like crazy to silence the alarm before it wakes my sleeping wife and child with its staccato beeping. "Sorry. Forgot my glasses." Tam rolls over the other way.

Yesterday morning I once again left the house before dawn. I bundled up, grabbed my scarf--  woops, almost forgot to grab my cereal-- set the alarm and headed out through the garage and on up the hill. I even double checked: Yep. Even with my gloves on I could feel 'em: Glasses in coat pocket.  Arriving at the hospital I went to my locker, changed into scrubs, and grabbed my-- %#@&! Sunglasses!!! Where were my regular glasses?? I was certain I had grabbed them as well as the shades!

After racing to turn off the alarm Evan came walking out of his room, blanket in hand, wanting to know why I had on blue clothes.  "I'm just going to work sweetie. It's still night time. Go back to bed." "But I'm hungry." "Go back to bed, sweetie. I just forgot my glasses!" I was so disgusted with myself by the time I had grabbed my glasses from the counter-- where I had left them while packing up my cereal-- that I was ready to kick the dog (the dog I don't have and, which I should mention, is just one more reason not to have a dog).

I like my glasses. My glasses do good things for me. They look good on me. And, without a doubt, without them I feel really dumb. The worse part of it is I can't be certain: memory issue or distraction issue? If this happens again I'm not sure if I'll get another pair to leave in my locker at the hospital or an MRI to look for gray matter atrophy. For the time being, I'll just file these recent episodes under "humor." But I will have to give just a little thought to worry. If I can spare the gray matter.