"Forgetting has certain advantages."

She recently had a stroke, and although she has regained all her physical attributes, she finds her short-term memory is now unreliable.

"All my life I was afraid of getting dementia, but here's what I'm finding: life is just one gift after another. I open my jewelry box, and I've never seen any of that stuff before. It's like somebody sneaked in and left me presents. This ring, this necklace. They're beautiful. I suppose there must be some story I can't remember, maybe this necklace was my mother's or somebody gave it to me for some reason. But every day, it's all brand new to me, and I'm thrilled to see it. And it's not just things.

"I'll see somebody who smiles at me like they know me. I say, 'You must be somebody I know,' and right away they'll tell me their name and how they know me, and I feel it's so wonderful! I keep meeting people who seem happy to see me, so I think I must be a pretty nice person. Every time I walk out of my apartment, the world is full of marvelous surprises. I'm so grateful for everything, really, all I have is gratitude and surprises."