In my musings, I realized today how many time’s I’ve heard
that signs of dementia include writing notes and keeping notebooks. It’s said smugly and matter of factly, often
by people who should know better, including but not limited to family,
psychologists, other elderly afraid of getting dementia, care causers, and
health care providers, witch doctors, know it alls, nay sayers of all types,
and chronic cranks.
Well, I’m not a senior, but I guess I’m there, along with
Barbara Pym, Anne Rice, Leonardo da Vinci, and many, many others. Bill Gates
must be barmy, too; he paid over $30 million for one of Leonardo’s notebooks
several years ago. If I could have afforded it, I would have bought it,
too. I learned to take notes from my
mother; she was around thirty at the time of the first tutorial. I even made notes for this blog posts.
Later, I outlined my notes in graduate school. I’ve kept journals and notebooks my whole
life, and always keep them in my purse.
My piano teachers always wrote notes and lessons in notebooks, and then
encouraged, even insisted, that I keep the notebooks. I did.
Frida Kahlo, and so many artists keep sketchbooks and
notes. They help with ideas. My dissertation director, one of the greatest
writers and teachers ever, wrote notes on everything, even the backs of
envelopes and scraps of paper that she organized in other envelopes. She never wastes paper, and has all her notes
in order.
Composers are always taking notes; a visiting composer I
worked with at our own symphony accepted a gift of musical stickers I gave him;
he was going to put them on a score. He
was also a dedicated teacher as well as musician.
Anne Rice used to write helpful words on her walls, and I
have friends who still write on their hands to remind them to do things.
Hmph. Dementia must
be rampant, not that anyone I’ve met really understands what it is.
Keep writing, I say.
I’m happy to send a notebook to anyone who needs one, of any age, at any
point in their life.
Like the paper mate ad used to say, “Write on, brother,
write on!!”
