Diagramming memories

Margie felt strong today, so we walked to the more distant coffee shop, and she kept brushing against plantings near the sidewalk. I said nothing about it, but she explained,

“I’m doing that on purpose, so I can pretend I’m out in nature somewhere.”

That led directly to recollections of Camp Mikan, her first experience of nature. Once we were seated, I asked her to describe Lake Cohasset to me, how it was set up, where the swimming area was, where the canoes were kept. She drew me a diagram on a napkin.

“There were six canoes, two rowboats, and two areas for swimming, you see, one for the little kids and one for those who had passed the swimming test.” She warmed to the task, her memories vivid and richly detailed. We whiled away a good hour and a half at camp, a delight for us both.

My MRI results are in. The good news is there’s no tumor and no evidence of stroke or brain bleed. This means the daily headaches I've been having since mid-September must be related to spinal disintegration in my neck, and an occipital nerve block should help. The bad news is that I have an increase in “white matter hyperintensities.” These are common among people with migraines and are age-related, often associated with an increased likelihood of dementia. All the more reason to enjoy my brain while I still can.