MY WEEKEND: I no longer remember where I hid my things

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to hide my newest flash disk for safekeeping after mysteriously losing four of them in less than a year, in my house, of all places. I say mysteriously because on those four occasions, everyone at home claimed not to have seen them, let alone touched them.

When necessity forced me to buy the newest one therefore, I decided to hide it after I downloaded the documents I needed. Whenever I required it, I told myself, I would get it from the hiding place, use it, and then return it. Sounds like a foolproof solution to my problem, doesn’t it? It would have, but unfortunately, I could not recall where I had hidden it a mere four days later when I needed it. No matter how much I racked my mind, I just could not recall where I had hidden it. I am yet to find it, if you care to know.

On Wednesday this week, I bought a couple of painkillers to deal with a headache. I put them on the table, but then decided to place them elsewhere just in case one of the children decided to pop them. That was in the afternoon.

Later in the evening, for the life of me, I just couldn’t remember where I had hidden them. I proceeded to turn the house upside down in search of the tablets, only to come up empty-handed after a couple of sweaty minutes. Just like with the flash disk, I still have no idea where I kept that medicine.

A friend tells me that I should try taking some herb called Ginkgo biloba, which is supposed to boost the memory. Meanwhile, I have chosen to look on the bright side: I have outstanding hiding skills, they are so outstanding, in fact, I am even able to hide things from myself.

This latest incident reminded me of a hilarious story a friend told me some time back. Her late grandmother had a habit of hiding things, including money, but never seemed to recall where she had hidden them, and would end up giving everyone grief when she failed to get whatever it is she had stashed away. When she passed away, this friend and three of her cousins were asked to clean and tidy up their grandmother’s house. The intention was to give away her belongings to charity, especially her furniture and clothes.

By the time they completed the task a day later, they had found all the things that their grandmother had ever hidden — including a stash of money running up to a whopping 30,000 bob. Most of it had been hidden in various openings in the seat cushions. This friend and her cousins were in their teens then, and like all teenagers, they were in dire need of money.

There was no way that jackpot was going to charity, or to their parents for that matter. And so they divided it among themselves and profusely thanked their grandmother for the good fortune.

Thankfully, I have never forgotten where I stash away my money, I know where I put every coin, so I probably should not be worried about my poor memory.

Anyway, with the New Year just a day away, the only resolution I have made is to stop hiding things. Come to think of it, this is the foolproof solution to this problem of mine.

I wish you a happy and blessed new year.

The writer is Editor, My Network magazine, in the Daily Nation  [email protected]