Lists

As we get close to the end of the year it is not just Christmas season, but List season as well. The top 10 books of the year, the top 10 movies, the top 10 news stories (funny, we don't seem to have many "bottom" lists, although I heard today that the most boring day in history has been established, some date in 1954 on which nothing important seems to have happened.)

I admit to being a list maker. I make lists for everything--tasks to be completed at work, household chores, groceries, Christmas gifts. I even make lists in my journal--the most important things on my mind that day. I don't know where this propensity comes from. I know my Mom made lists, but I don't think my Dad does. For me, lists are a way to get control of a situation, to get organized, to allow me to focus on the tasks at hand. I don't seem to have passed this ability on to my children, but I have seen lists by my siblings.

what is appealing about a list? I like the orderliness of it. I read an article in the NY Times Book Review last week about lists. Here is a great quote, "That said, there is something reassuring about a list, a precision and formality that makes us think we’ve got a handle on things. Isn’t every list in reality a ceremonial flourish against amnesia and chaos? "

I have a dear friend suffering from dementia. He writes everything down. He has lists everywhere. But they don't help much. The are like a finger in the dam of forgetfulness, the memories and meaning are trickling out, gushing out, and no list will hold the memories of a lifetime.