Out of Memory

I got an error message on my cell phone the other day.

The message read simply: “Out of Memory”.

Seems innocent enough, yet the dissonant chime preceding the bright red lettering made them mean words. Almost judging. It seems silly, but it shook me – ruined my day. Ugh. One more thing to figure out. One more thing to fix. Oddly, one more thing telling me I take too many pictures, save too many things. As if to say “Enough, already!”

It’s ironic considering this seems to be the running theme of my life lately.

“Out of Memory”

I get that at work on a daily basis. Disk space errors force me to save my work elsewhere, on second rate hard drives, using less than admirable methods of back up.

I get the message on my home computer. Same thing: compromise safety and security of my priceless data for anything that works at the moment. Inconsistent efforts. Scattered. Unreliable.

Quite often my brain gives me an out of memory message in the form of forgotten tasks and missed deadlines. What time was that appointment? When does Nathaniel have to provide snack for school? You wanted me to remember what? Where was I supposed to go? What did I come here to find?

I don't want to be "Out of Memory".  I want to have an infinite amount of memory to be everything to everyone.  I want to remember everything and forget nothing.  I want a bazillion terabyte hard drive so I don't have to lose something important just to gain something new.  My brain is constantly in purge mode, only I have no control over what is thrown out to make room.

Since that doesn't seem likely, I suppose I should go try and figure out how to choose between the cute shots of my children playing at the mall and the REALLY cute pictures of them romping outside with the puppy.  I'll purge what I can to bide my time until I am able to find the cord for my phone and figure out how to get my pictures off my memory card.  If I had any free memory cards, I suppose I could just replace it with a new one, but that's another issue.

It's moments like this when I feel like technology and the world is taking off without me.  Can you imagine me at 90?  Trying to figure out how to get my hologram machine to toast my waffles and heat my coffee?  Man!