i forget things

here is how it works: you tell me something or we have a nice conversation, and i immediately forget about it. two years later, i remember it as clear as day. my short term memory sucks. it's just really bad.

but i will remember things forever and in great detail if you give me long enough.

it's a frustration i've always had to deal with... i guess it's just one of those things that is okay as long as i can work around it. i write everything down and repeat often. i take mental photographs and send myself emails. i run mental checklists constantly. 

meanwhile, i fill in the gaps with memories from years ago.

i remember what my kindergarden classroom looked like. i remember my mom rocking me to sleep at night when i used to have ear infections (this is a vivid one... i was less than 2 years old). i remember learning how to put my coat on by myself in preschool. i remember all of my teachers names from elementary, middle, and high school. 

i remember it all. unless it happened today. ask me again in two years.