I Need a Word!

~ Ellie

I am so lucky to have a husband who, when he’s nearby, helps me find a word when I need one.

I depend a lot on my ability to pick the right words, because I’m a prolific social-media poster and commenter, as well as an author (said in all modesty) of some note. (Okay, I have four books on Amazon, independently published, but who’s counting. And I’ve been writing this blog since 2015, seen by viewers in 139 countries, but again who’s counting.) I will grant you a pause to digest all this, so you’ll be able to fully appreciate what’s coming.

Here is the problem. Over the past couple of years, I find myself increasingly having trouble finding the right word. It’s mostly happened with my writing – but now it’s starting to spill over into my speech, and even my thinking – and that really scares me.

Picture this. I’m washing dishes, since John is out at his choir practice, and I’m idly thinking how great it is that we have this whole set of nice utensils that don’t scratch dishes or pots. You know, utensils like a ladle, or spatula, for instance. They’re made of a kind of rubbery material. But it’s not rubber.

You know what I mean. I’m washing the spatula now, in fact. It’s black and smooth, very pliable. But it’s not rubber. It’s – it’s… you know it. It’s… Damn it, what the hell is it called!

Photo by Leeloo Thefirst on Pexels.com

Why don’t I just look it up, some of you might be thinking. But look what up? ”Smooth rubbery material” isn’t in the dictionary. And when I Google it, the first result is “Physiotherapy in Comox for Elbow Pain – Elbow Fusion.” 😳 I kid you not!

I was going to mention my other memory glitches, but I forget what they are. 😜

Oh sure, I had them written down, right there on my phone, in my TO DO list. I just looked at it. But all it says there now is:

  • Word problems
  • Finish blog post

Big help, right? 😒

Oh! I remember the speech thing! One day I was watching TV with my husband John, and I was trying to tell him to press “pause” on the remote, because I wanted to tell him something. I said, “John, pa… pa… pawww….pauuuuu…” I could NOT spit it out! Apparently, I realized later, I was thinking of the word “post” at the same time, since I’d been scrolling through posts on Facebook earlier, so…

My brain had had quite a conflict. It went, “Hmm, she’s thinking ‘pause,’ but she’s also thinking ‘post’… what the hell should I have her say…? I know! Pauuuuu…” 😧

I’ll mention here that I have seen a neurologist about this (My MS doc referred me to a memory specialist, actually), but so far, scans haven’t shown any serious cause of my memory flaws.

I wanted to share with you other examples of my word-finding failures, but I just can’t recall them! I went to ask John, figuring he could help me out, but – he doesn’t remember them either. Oh well.

Usually our memory “assists” dovetail. I help him recall certain things, and he helps me with others. But this time we’re both blanking. One thing we do share: a whole lotta love. Maybe that’s the most important thing of all. 💞

— Oh by the way, that rubbery material that isn’t rubber? Silicone!

20 thoughts on “I Need a Word!”

        3. It could be worse. Husband recently completely forgot daughter and I traveled to Michigan last April. He remember he and I went in August, but even when I reminded him, he looked confused. Ugh.

          Liked by 1 person

    1. Er, you did notice my ‘PS’ at the end of my post, where I did supply the proper word? (I know it’s a common occurrence in aging, but it has increased in frequency to the point that it’s perplexing and even alarming. 😕

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Happy to have obliged with the word in question. Whatever it was. 😂
      Re elusive words, I find that nouns are usually the easiest to handle, at least in speaking, cuz you can just substitute “the thing.” (Or, if you’re being cutesie, “the thingy.”

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a comment