"Routines"

It used to be when you had something to do, you just went ahead and did it.  You just gathered your stuff up, headed out, and accomplished your objective.

And then one day, you didn't...

You forgot what you were about to do.  Don't lie to me, Pilgrim!  You know you did!  And that wasn't the first time, either!  You've been getting more and more forgetful as you get older and older.  And that's the reason you've developed...

Routines...

You know, you have certain things you do at certain times of the day and the week, and even the hour of the day in order to keep body and soul together.  So you develop "routines."  Routines are a sort of mental list of things to do that you commit to deep-down rote.  A good example is trash; you know to take the trash out on Wednesday evening for a Thursday morning pickup, even though you can't remember your kids' birthdays.  These routines are a defense mechanism against the unavoidable loss of mental acuity.  It will happen, and you have to figure out how to work around it.  And developing routines is one of the answers.  

Routines are a sort of "muscle memory" for those things not requiring muscles.  You make little mental notes so you don't forget.  You know, like patting yourself on your pockets before you close the door behind you to make sure you have your keys and your wallet.  And when even those don't work, you start making LISTS OF THINGS TO DO!

And those of us who are really bad include things we've already done on our updated lists of things to do so we can check them off our lists!

I'm truly sorry for "outing" you.  For letting the world know that you're not as much on top of things as you used to be.  But, then again, that's okay, because there's not as much for you to be on top of then there used to be.  

Soooooo, I now conclude this, my latest rant, with the conclusion.  The resolution.  The synopsis.  The recommendation.  The payoff.  The "Bottom Line," as they say.  The, ummm, oh wait, ummm, what were we talking about?