State of Mind

Earl Foster, loaned me his suit to get married, 1966.

David Anthony, a fellow resident at The Tower at

Speer, 2011.

Paul and Kathy Davis, minister/poet, and his wife,

1988.

Wayne and Phyllis Lang, professor and wife, friends

of my girlfriend, 1987.

Jack Randall, lawyer and property owner who gave

me free studio space, 1989.

Don Herbert, Mr. Wizzard, TV personality, 1960.

Iris DeMent, Folk country singer, 1995.

Again today, I’m playing the Name Game.

At my age (73), I sometimes find it necessary

to dig into my history and recall the names

of friends, acquaintances, and folks seldom

heard from anymore. For me it is an exercise

to keep my mental acuity active and alive.

In the past I have mentioned this before, but

it’s worth saying again (like any successful

exercise, repetition is the key ): Should the

name I wish to recall not come to me im-

mediately, my brain will wrestle with the task

for a while, and then drop it to the sub-conscious

level as I go about my regular activities of the day.

And when I least expect it, the name will pop up

from seemingly nowhere and hit me four-square.

I figure anything I can do to ward off dementia is

a worthwhile endeavor for me.

Lately, I’ve been searching for the name of my

deceased brother’s best friend. Were my brother

alive today, I could have called and asked him his

friend’s name, but that would have been cheating.

And my Hippocampus defering to the Fronto-insular

Cortex would have never forgiven me.

I’ve always been of a mind, if you can’t trust your

Hippocampus, who can you trust? If the person is now

or once was famous, or neurological nomenclature of

departments of the brain, Google or Alexa can sometimes

help.

I suppose these days artificial intelligence trumps

an aging mind every time. Damn, I forgot to turn the

oven off again!

...Mike Wagner!

                                     -30-

Chris Hanch 7-31-2020