Have You Ever Forgotten Something Really Important?

You may have forgotten the time that you did, but if it was really important, you probably already thought about it.  Usually when someone forgets something they will say, "I can't remember it," or they'll say, "It's on the tip of my tongue."  I learned many years ago that you have to program your mind to remember it and say, "I'll think of it in a minute."  This has worked for me many times, but it's not perfect.

Last Sunday it was after 8 am and I was returning to our condo after getting a newspaper and bagels.  Since the resort area we're staying in is about 95% empty, I was surprised to be riding up the elevator with someone.  I was talking to him as I walked down towards our door and then put in the code to open the door.  It didn't work, so I tried it again.  It was only four numbers, but somehow, I totally blanked out and could not remember the numbers.  I tried a few more combinations with no success.

Everyone was sleeping, but I had a paper and a bagel.  It was mild so I was very comfortable sitting down near the door and reading the paper.  I couldn't believe that I didn't know the four numbers, since I had been using them for the past month.  After about twenty minutes I tried a few more times to open the door, but I failed.

I decided to get some exercise and started walking up and down the balcony hallway.  I tried to get my mind blank and come up with the number, but it took twenty minutes of walking before I got the right answer.  The four numbers are the last four numbers of my wife's phone number,. Since I only press a button on the phone,I had no idea what her number was and I did not know that was the code.

The good news is, I now know my wife's phone number and when I fill out a form for an emergency number I don't have to look it up. All it took was spending 45 minutes being locked out on  a Sunday morning.