So.. every morning I wake up, I go to the toilet, have my breakfast, my shower, prepare my gym bag, get dressed and leave. That’s the regular schedule during week.

I close the door, get into the elevator, go 12 floors down, get into my car and drive to the office.

I suddenly stop.

I stop when I remember that I forgot one or more of the following items:

1. My phone
2. My wallet
3. My gym bag
4. My office laptop
5. My food bag
6. My eyeglasses (new item to worry about)

I pause for a moment to assess the situation, before I turn around, retract, and head back to the house. And that usually depends on the moment at which this sudden revelation comes to me. I mean, sometimes it happens when I am in the elevator, so it is easy, I tell myself “yalla Fadi press 12 and go up and get it”. But in other times, it happens when I reach my car and start driving and get out of the parking. I’d be lucky if it happens when I am still in business bay area close to my building, but it usually strikes me when I am in a good mood, enjoying Elissa’s voice coming out of the radio, and ready to do the final u-turn towards the office, 20 minutes away from home! And for a reason that is beyond my capacity to understand, this latter scenario in particular insist to happen when it is the office laptop that I forget. Maybe it hit me when I get close to the office and see the building? Probably! Bu thanks God that doesn’t happen often as I rare take my office laptop home. Nevertheless, these are a set of 6 different items, and they alternate in slipping off my memory when I leave home. And to be honest they are not all of same importance. I mean if it is the gym bag, and if I have been going regularly to the gym, then hurray, I’d be more than happy to skip it for the day and get back after work to nap! Same for the food bag, I’d tell myself, lets break the diet and enjoy the day, it is out of my hand anyway! The wallet? mmmm, I can live without it for the day. Eyeglasses, who needs them? But hold on, the phone? hell no. I think you all know me better. That is when the real panic strike and no matter how far I get, even if the office is on the moon, I drive back and get it.

Please don’t confuse the above as a sign of aging, or early Alzheimer. I am sure it happens to you too. Don’t say no. And to be honest, it doesn’t really happen often, just from time to time, I mean something like e v e r y d a y! No I am joking. Maybe once a month. But it is annoying when it happens.

I remember a good old friend of mine 20 years back. He figured it out back then and had a special technique where he gives numbers to all items and keep on counting before he leaves home. I used to find this funny and never got into the habit, but now I see it smart, isn’t it? Does anyone of you use the same technique? If not, give it a try and let me know how it works!