It all began when I decided to make copies of the photos I took at Christmas. I looked near the photo albums…. behind the DVDs…. in the bookshelves….. nothing.

I live in a tiny apartment. TINY! But I’d gotten to that point where I couldn’t find anything. So I decided to clean.

Sounds simple enough. Clean out the apartment. Throw away the clutter. Donate. Recycle. Eliminate.

I ended up making more of a mess during the process. I hauled boxes out of my walk-in closet… boxes filled with mementos of past trips, old birthday and holiday cards, calendar fillers dating back to 1990.

That’s when I discovered I was missing 2002-2004. How exactly does a person lose two years of their life?

I’ll tell you how. You lose all calendar and journal entries made during 2002 and 2003. Without the written proof, it’s as if the time never passed. Dates get muddled. Did I go to Portugal in August 2002 or August 2003? Will my cousin Jason celebrate his 1st wedding anniversary in May or his 2nd?

Yes, I agree, it IS pathetic that I can’t remember anything without having it written down.

5 boxes and 24 enormous trash bags later – my home is spic `n span. And I’m telling people I’m two years younger than I really am. Because, hell – if you don’t remember, it’s like it never happened.