The Boy with Amnesia
Back in the day, when I still was in high school, there was a certain time in my life when I used to think that I may be suffering from amnesia and this was due to how fast I forgot stuff.
I didn't really notice it at first, until I did and began to pay attention to it, even then, I still would forget certain things, especially things that were happening to me for the first time.
When I got to know how bad the whole thing was, was when I had gone for an apprenticeship for this man who repairs television and all sorts of electronics.
Whenever he left me at the shop to maybe go work on someone's television at their home, or maybe to go to the market, people would come looking for him at the shop, this were people that I was only seeing for the first time in my life.
They would enquire about him, and then leave a message with me to pass on to him. These were mainly verbal messages, so whenever my boss got back from where ever it was he went to, I would tell him that someone came looking for him and they left so so messages for him.
But whenever he asked me who they were, or he asked me to give a facial description of that person, I always fumbled and would end up telling him that I don't know. That response always made him mad that it got to an extent where he ended up hitting me with a wire and scarring me.
Funny enough, I understood his frustration because the information I was giving to him was as good as useless if he couldn't put a face to it, to at least know his next move, if he should go to the customer or wait for them to come back to him.
It was around that time that I eventually took notice of my forgetfulness and I tried many many times to overcome it. Whenever a customer came knocking, I would stare at them intently in a bid to remember even the tiniest of detail about their faces.
Did it work? A little bit, but I struggled. I still struggle, even up till now. Although it's not as bad as it used to be, I still find it a bit hard to remember people's faces after only just seeing them once, while my friends don't.
Most times they end up reminding about the exact place we had seen that person in order for me to finally remember. And sadly, this doesn't only happen to people's faces, I forget other stuff too. This is why most times, I try not to go near a task or turn off the reminder for that task until I am completely ready to start and finish that task because the moment I leave it, it takes a while before I remember it again.
Although I must admit that compared to back then, it doesn't happen as frequently as it used to. I guess that just shows how hard I'm really working towards the problem and how far I'm progressing.
I think I also had the habit but I think it happens because we don't pay too much attention. I also tried to focus manually but later I felt focusing manually is not possible every time. I also still have the habit but not so frequently. I think in this case both of us have similar experiences.
Focusing manually all the time obviously isn't possible, but why I feel like I had a problem back then was because even when I tried focusing manually, I still forgot some details.