Call me
menoical, but one of the things that has been troubling me in recent years is
the interruption to the short term memory facility. I may have mentioned it.
There are
some awfully blank spots up here at the front.
This very morning, our tutor said something that only after class did I
realise I couldn't recall. Had to ask
one of the young lads. I'd write things
down. However this requires the presence
of the pen and paper that didn't quite make it into the bag - laid them out on
the table so as not to forget them, y'know.
Genius-proof.
Absent-mindedness
is cute in others. Hellish in
oneself. It brings up all sorts of
grime. Self-anger. Self-loathing. Self-punishment.
There was
a time when I ran my entire clinic by memory alone. No appointments diary. No telephone listings. I always had a bit of trouble with names -
but (and now am letting out a BIG secret) I used to number my clients then, by
associating the number to their face, it was possible to 99.9% remember their
name without having to refer to file.
There was that 0.1% moment where this failed. I don't want to talk about it.
Then the
menosoupal rot started to set in.
Double-bookings. Not marking the bookings and getting
unexpected door knocking. Marking
non-existent bookings and waiting anxiously for expected door knocking. Not marking bookings and being caught up at
the shops by the incoming client…
Emm
thought it was time I went digital and bought me an electronic diary. Lovely girl, Emm. Class 1 organiser type. Always buying me things she
thinks I might need.
Trouble
is, in those early onset days, patience was also in short supply. Could never spend time to get the hang of the
thing. That and I kept forgetting it was
there. It is a testament, perhaps, to my
practice, that all clients affected by these aberrations were understanding
beyond words. All remained loyal and not
once did I receive any complaint. That
didn't stop the menoia setting-in though.
I began to question how they could all be so tolerant. Not out loud.
That would never do. Oh no, I let
it fester deep inside.
Consequence
was that I was in a constant state of thinking I had forgotten so became an
obsessive re-checker of appointments. At
least that's how it looked from my side.
The feedback was that everyone liked having the 'confirmation call' and
business increased a bit. Go
figure. Menoia = moola.
I'd
rather have the memory though.
I WAS Number one wasn't I? Or is that the Myth?
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDelete......(how do I tell her it was number 2? no, that just doesn't look right....)
Yes. <8)