I can’t remember what all three of my answers were. Honest.

Is memory loss a sign of age or a lack of concentration or something else? I read that it can arise from stress, depression, lack of sleep, side effects from medication, an unhealthy diet and dehydration.

I can tick a lot of those boxes. At the top of my list of things I misplace is my phone. Once a week — minimum — I ask Sandy to call me, so I can listen for the ring. It sucks when it is turned off. It sucks more when it is on and I can’t hear it. It is usually in the car.

It’s odd when I find the phone, but can’t remember being in the place where the phone is.

It’s like, “Why is my phone beside the aquarium? Did I feed the fish today? I must have because the light is on.”

Do you get a feeling of panic when you misplace your phone in a public place? I have left it in stores a couple of times. Thankfully, it was turned in both times.

Keys are another problem for me. Misplacing them got so bad that we decided to put a bowl near the entrance to the house. The theory was that we would put our keys in the bowl immediately after returning home.

I just had a look in the bowl. In it are receipts, coupons, and items like paper clips. There are also bright orange bags that are used to pick up dog poo. The bags are empty, by the way. That is one thing I don’t forget.

There is one key in the bowl. I have no idea what it is for, which might explain why it’s in the bowl.

I am so-so with names.

I know a person, who calls everyone Trouble or Dude if he is unsure of the his/her name. Calling someone Trouble seems odd to me. Another guy I know, says, “Hello, Handsome.” I wonder if it is only when he runs into a male member of the species.

I really hate it when I misplace big stuff. The big thing, by far, is not being able to find your car in a parking lot. I can quickly go into fullblown, panic-attack mode.

My worst experience was at a Saskatchewan Rush game on a -30 night. I left the game early because I was feeling sick to my stomach.

I walked up and down rows in the parking lot, clicking my key fob thing, hoping to see the lights flash. I feared I was going to die of exposure. I reached a point where I had to decide whether to keep looking or run back to the building. Being sick to my stomach made the decision more difficult.

At that moment of truth, I saw car lights blinking. The relief was overwhelming. I felt so much better about being sick.

I have two recent examples of forgetfulness, and both are a bit concerning.

One was the day I made turkey sandwiches for Sandy and me. A couple of bites into it, I realized I was eating tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. I forgot to put the turkey on them.

Sandy and I have been picking up groceries for my mom during this horrible time of COVID-19.

Mom’s list on one particular day had five items on it. We picked them up and headed home, where Sandy wiped them down. Do you see where this is going? I set the groceries down at the front door, slipped on my shoes and told Sandy I would be back in 30 minutes. When I got to Mom’s, I realized I hadn’t put her groceries in the car.

My goodness.

We have mercifully reached the end of this column. There was a moral to it, but I forget what it was.

-Cam Hutchinson