A funny fact about January Wednesdays in Minnesota is that they’re just like every other day of the week. For us, the temperatures have kept us homebound and we’re feeling the stress of cabin fever. When you’re 81, all days become just like the day before, unless you have a printed calendar to refer to – you tune into the daily news – or open your computer to check the date. And who in the world came up with the spelling for the word Wednesday? Someone who wanted to confuse us even further, I’m sure. 

When I was five, we had underwear to tell us what day it was. Mom would line them up consecutively so that we had a clear hint us. through the week There were dish towels in the kitchen with the days of the week printed on them. Sometimes they got mixed up and it threw a wrench into the entire works. When you’re employed it’s fairly easy to determine what day it is. You’re on a specific timeline that keeps you more aware of it. Every day of the week becomes just another day when you are no longer on a schedule – or if you don’t have labeled underwear to help you figure it out – or at least you can’t find it.

Add to all that, the fact that our memories are failing. We go from room to room and can’t remember why. Our motivation has been lost somewhere between the kitchen and the living room. Wouldn’t it be nice to have those old dish towels again? Aging is not what it’s cracked up to be. When we’re young our minds are free from so much information. Our data bank is just beginning to fill up. Through adolescence, the age of discovery and exploration, begins to become a slave to our hormones. As young adults, we’re on such strict schedules, everything must be plugged into our calendars, so we don’t forget an appointment. When you start a family, you need smart watches, smart phones and smart everything to sort things out. By the time we reach old age, it’s no wonder our smart brain has turned to mush. 

So, we resort to looking out the window for a camel. We refer to a calendar. We gauge our time by what game show is on TV or which doctor we’re scheduled to see. It shouldn’t be complicated, but it has become our current reality.