There are hundreds of medical disorders known to man. Most all are treatable, if diagnosed early.

We’ve all heard of Attention Deficit Disorder, one that is common among children. Heck, I had it when I was young, but it didn’t have an official title back then. It was just part of growing up….we had too many things to do and not enough time to accomplish those tasks.

It has now been brought to my attention that the same type of condition applies to older adults. It’s known as A.A.A.D.D. – short for Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

My favorite senior citizen – Bobby “Keys” Eure was kind enough to make me aware of A.A.A.D.D.

By the way, Bobby is seeking part-time employment. If anyone needs a wise (old), bionic (just had a knee replaced) and former police officer (can chase a criminal while still eating a doughnut), give Bobby a call.

According to Bobby, this is how A.A.A.D.D. manifests:

I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the trash can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.

But then I think, since I’m going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I’d been drinking.

I’m going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don’t accidentally knock it over. The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye….they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I’m going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when the wife and I go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the remote, but I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I’ll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table,  get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day: the car isn’t washed; the bills aren’t paid; there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter that I don’t remember placing there; the flowers don’t have enough water; there is still only one check remaining in my check book; I can’t find the dang remote; I can’t find my glasses; and I don’t remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day, and I’m really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem, and I’ll try to get some help for it, but first I’ll check my e-mail.

Don’t laugh….if this isn’t you yet, your day is coming!

Thanks, Bobby, for explaining the reason why I can’t seem to get anything done around the house on my rare days off. Perhaps this explains why I can never find the remote…or my glasses!

Cal Bryant is Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. He can be contacted at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.