"I WAS GOING TO MAKE YOU REMEMBER IT!"

A well meaning, yet, as far as I am concerned, misguided, in fact, though not her fault, totally unguided, yet well intentioned, new neighbour, who is a relatively now friend of my wife's, knocked at our door two days ago. Our dog Blossom, did her usual protective routine of barking a warning. This she usually does until I say;" it is alright it is only,(then I name the person) and let them in. Blossom then knows all is well and settles down. On this occasion, I couldn't remember the neighbour's name and called to her to remind me of her name. However, she did not respond and so I had to open the door and let her in anyway. When she had come, in I recalled her name. I told her that I was asking her to remind me of her name because I had forgotten it. To which she replied; "I know you had and I was going to make you remember it".  I let her know in no uncertain terms (only a few minor expletives) that doing that was of no help whatsoever and never to do it again. I further pointed out that if I asked for assistance to recall her name, I needed it, as didn't do it for the fun of it.

I have a feeling that having got to know this well intentioned, though as far as I am concerned unhelpful, individual,sufficiently well, that she will still consider she was being helpful and is likely to carry on regardless. If this is the case, then in a similar situation, the door will remain unopened with her on the other side!!

Now, as mentioned above, I am sure the lady's intentions were honourable and that she genuinely thought she was being of  help. In the situation I find myself in, with this condition, I am not prepared to be used by some well meaning, yet, to me, dangerous individual, as the object of their experimentation to try and cure my memory problems. I have detected from previous conversations and in getting to know, as well as observe, the individual concerned, that she is of the "I can fix anything" category of person. In order to avoid potential conflict when she visits our home, having exchanged pleasantries, I now take my leave and seek the refuge of my apartment / relaxation room.

As certain aspects of my mental condition slowly change, I am aware that I seem to be becoming more frequently involved in conflictual and stress inducing and creating situations with others. These are usually as a result of my response, (seemingly to me reasonable at the time)  to what others say or do.

Wishing to avoid the above and to minimise unsavoury incidents and resulting cause of hurt to others and myself, I spend an increasing amount of time out walking with Blossom our dog and limiting the amount of time spent in others company indoors. Interestingly, on reflection, I find it better to converse with individuals in the open air in the village, rather than in an enclosed environment, e.g. home, church, pub, etc. Thank God, from my perspective, I am at my most peaceful and relaxed when in the haven of our home, alone with my wife and Blossom, or when out walking alone or with Blossom.

JSAFGA