So Who Knew the Mind Was the First Thing to Go?

There comes a time in every one's life when they begin to realize that the gray in their hair, and the wrinkles on their faces are not just the result of sleeping on a bad mattress. Indeed, the aging process has begun to catch up.

For me, the realization was not so subtle. Mind you, I am 48 and while most people think I am in my 30's, I have always been aware of the changes in my body. A muscle that used to be flexible, no longer is; a joint that bent freely, now slows with arthritis. Aging happens, sometimes gracefully, sometimes not so kindly.

Remember the week when all my technological conveniences began to crash, one by one? Well, I didn't tell you everything. I had a muscle crash. No, not literally, but it was a crash all the same.

I'm going to tell you my secret, but you must not tell my neighbors. They already think I'm a little ... different.

It was a Saturday evening when my son and I, and one of his friends, had returned from being out. Our arms were full of McDonald's 42 cent drinks, a bag or two of groceries, and of course my portable kitchen sink. Ladies, you and I both know that the older we get the more room we want in our purses. Though not to carry everything we can get our hands on from home, but more to have the room to bring home some special finds that we don't want to have to carry separately.

I digress. We alit from my van, I took the keys out to unlock the front door, realized I wanted to relieve my water challenged plants, and set my purse down on the front porch to keep it from getting wet and dirty. Heaven forbid something should happen to it.

My plants were thirstier than I realized, and the watering took longer than I intended. By the time all the pots were overflowing, my mind (remember the muscle crash) had taken a leave of absence.

I went inside, prepared dinner, worked on laundry, read the paper, and sat down to relax. Michael and his friend immersed themselves in the Nintendo, and didn't come out except to see if the friend could spend the night. Not a problem. We'd just drop him off on our way to church.

The sandman visited and soon we were all in la-la land. The morning came, and as we prepared to leave, I looked everywhere in the house for my purse. It wasn't where I normally left it, so I commissioned my son to begin a search. He's really good at finding things I lose. I stay in one spot and he finds and retrieves. Anyway, my purse was no where to be found.

I opened the front door to check the van and sitting right where I had left it -- in full view of the street, was my purse. It had been light outside for several hours. It was a wonder that no one had taken it, because I would never have known.

This is where God takes care of those of us who are farther along in the aging process than we realized. My wallet, my money, credit cards, everything was just as I had left it. There must have been angels slapping their knees with amusement when they saw my folly.

Have you ever gone to bed and left the keys in the front door lock? Me too!, and more times than I care to share. But this time, leaving my purse on the porch over night was more than I could gracefully accept. The brain had drained, and needed to be renewed. If anyone out there knows of technological advances that take care of drained brains, please let me know. I don't think the angels would be so amused a second time.