Of the numerous bills I get each month, I pay about five by snail mail. The phone bill is the last one to come in, so the day after I get it, I write checks and go to the post office. That’s just enough time to ensure that my mortgage payment gets where it’s going with a couple of days to spare.
One day last week I piddled around and missed the mail pickup time at the nearest post office, so I waited until the next day. I got distracted and waited too late on the second day, too, then I remembered that the mail collection time is an hour later at the post office in the nearby town where I used to work. I decided to drive the extra distance. Since I was going in that direction, it seemed like a good idea to use that trip to make a deposit at my bank, which is just down the street from the post office.
Somewhere between here and town, my mind wandered, though obviously not the part of my mind that was impressed with itself for thinking to combine the two errands.
After I made the bank deposit, I came home, pulled into the carport, turned off the engine, picked up my purse, and there on the seat were the bills I was supposed to have mailed. I’d daydreamed right past the post office.
I thought about it for a few seconds, long enough for my stern, no-nonsense persona to come out and purse her lips, then I backed out and drove the whole sixteen-mile round trip back to the post office. Yes, I wasted gas. I could have waited one more day and gone to the nearer post office, but I felt it was important to teach myself a lesson.
What about you? What absent-minded thing have you done lately?
On occasion, I meet my husband when he leaves work. Several times we have forgotten to pick up his truck before coming home. We then have to make the 32 mile round trip again to get his truck home.
ReplyDeleteI tell him we are old and goofy.
I am awful about entering a room not knowing why I went in there. But my best has to be placing my keys in the fridge and my butter in the key basket. SIGH... I am NOT aging gracefully 8~(
ReplyDeleteI forget
ReplyDeleteHolly, I've tried to put the milk back in the cupboard I keep the cereal in, so don't feel bad. Numerous times when daydreaming while making supper, I've poured a 4-cup coffee pot of water into the 2-cup Hot Shot on another counter instead of the coffeemaker. I just caught myself doing that a few days ago.
ReplyDeleteCan't think of any absent-minded mishap though, but I can sympathize with you, Velvet-it's not uncommon for me to leave the house on errands with the #1 reason I'm going out is to mail bills/birthday cards, and only when I'm well on my way do I realize I left them at home. This is especially awful when I go back home and Spot thinks I changed my mind and came back to take him with me.
Lucylocket, I like the idea that you and your husband forget the truck together. That way neither of you has to feel silly alone.
ReplyDeleteHolly, when you forget why you've entered a room, do you retrace your steps to try to jog your memory? I've been doing that for years.
4th Sister, hahaha!
Janet, I've never made the coffeepot mistake because I don't drink coffee, but it's totally the kind of thing I would do. One thing I'm done several times is pull a utensil I'm going to need out of a drawer and lay it on the counter, then when it's time to use it, I open the drawer again and feel frustrated that the utensil isn't where it's supposed to be.
I do that too!
ReplyDelete