As the years pile on… and doesn’t it seem as if each year goes by faster than the one before?  most of us start noticing that we are becoming more forgetful.  Some of us put it down to aging. I prefer to think my mind is simply busy with multi- multi-tasking.  

But I had a sad reminder about forgetfulness. While I had my oven on to bake brussels sprouts and my smoky bison sausages, I put 3 garlic bulbs into my garlic roaster and popped then into the oven to caramelize. When the buzzer went off – always need that reminder – I took all three dishes out and assembled my dinner salad of arugula, caramelized onions, Brussel sprouts and bison sausage.  But when I checked the garlic, it was not caramelized enough.  So I popped the cloves back into the dish and put them into the microwave for an extra cook. And I settled down to enjoy my dinner while watching the first segment of the latest episode of Tournament of Champions. 

Finished my dinner, indulged in my after-dinner treat of Cambazola and two dried apricots, cleaned up the kitchen and headed to my office to get some work done. Totally forgot about the garlic in the microwave.  

 Next day, about to heat up my cup of bone broth at noon, I open the microwave and realize that the cooked garlic has been sitting there,  unrefrigerated since the night before.  

Food safety is always on my mind. Anyone who has had any form of food poisoning is acutely aware of how awful it is for body fluids to be pouring out of both ends till you feel like a dried out rag. So I am very cautious. 

Not having time to thoroughly weigh up the risk of digestive upset against the waste of three garlic bulbs, I decided to err on the side of caution and dumped them into my compost bag. 

Since I attributed that episode of forgetfulness to mind-overwhelm, and I don’t see my multi-tasking slowing down any time soon, I figured I need to reactivate some of my tweaks that keep me mindful and in the present all the time. 

If you want to get some ideas about how not to freeze your new contact lenses, hunt for the glasses perched on top of your head,,, or forget foods in the microwave, leave a comment below, or email me privately at askdrgill@gmail.com to arrange a time to chat.