{"id":5,"date":"2013-04-01T02:05:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-01T02:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/?p=5"},"modified":"2021-05-08T14:37:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T14:37:32","slug":"memory-maids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/memory-maids\/","title":{"rendered":"Memory Maids"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Last week, when I went to our refrigerator to get a glass of cold water, I saw an unfamiliar yellow-orange dot of light glowing from the top of the display. Under the glowing dot were the words Water Filter<\/b><\/i> and explanations for different color codes. Hmm. I pulled out the Frigidaire\u00ae manual which was filed away with pounds of other warranty cards and manuals. The light was telling me that it was time to order a new filter. I read the ordering instructions and noted how often filters typically needed changing (every 200 gallons) \u2013 and I then marveled.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it great that the fridge knows when its parts need to be replaced?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I started to think about the many systems that are in place in my life so that I don\u2019t have to spend energy trying to remember details that don\u2019t affect me in the moment. <\/span>It\u2019s like having a maid for my memory.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Yes, I can record appointments, even phone calls, in Outlook<\/i> and program alarms so that I receive notifications a week before, a day before, or an hour before a scheduled event. But there are memory maids<\/i> in my life that live outside of my computer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I get notices from Jiffy Lube<\/i> or my car dealer when I need to have routine maintenance. I\u2019ll get confirming calls from restaurants the day before a reservation to remind me of arrangements I may have made weeks earlier. I get silly postcards from my dentist, usually with grinning orange Garfield cartoons, to remind me it\u2019s time to have my teeth cleaned. <\/span>I get notices from the library when a book is a week overdue so that I don\u2019t inadvertently rack up excessive fines.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I often balk at invitations to get me to be more organized. I am not an organized person by nature. I have mountains of legal pads and loaded Pend-o-flex file folders because I am resistant to rely on paperless computer directories. I leave myself Post-its\u00ae everywhere to help me jog my memory about things I might want to buy at the store. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

But tools for helping me keep appointments or remember promises \u2013 I feel a great debt of gratitude for things that help me on these counts.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I view time as precious, and I don\u2019t want to miss anything that may be important. I don\u2019t want to be disrespectful of any friend or colleague with whom I made plans who may be counting on connecting at a certain time.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

In some ways, I think time is one of the few things of any intrinsic value. I consider what I spend my time on to be a total reflection of what\u2019s really important to me.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

I know that while I love to test my memory (I am good at recalling zip codes, song lyrics, and menus from stellar restaurant meals eaten since I was eight years old), trying to juggle details about where I need to be or what I need to respond to based on old promises, is a mental chore I would just as well farm out. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Thanks to all the memory maids<\/i> in my life, the people and systems in place that absolve me of the need to keep track of many things directly.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

With my maids<\/i>silently keeping watch for me, I can give my full attention to what I am experiencing in the present moment, and that\u2019s no small thing. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, when I went to our refrigerator to get a glass of cold water,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","grateful-dozen-musings-imaginings"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMemory Maids – No Small Thing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nosmallthing.net\/main\/memory-maids\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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