My brain

I cannot help but wonder, when (oh when) will I be smart again?

I am not sure when it started, but I have become a ditz. I believe it might be tied to childbirth, but I can't be certain. I cannot remember words that would fit perfectly into my sentence, nor can I remember names and phone numbers. This is getting serious -- my encyclopedic knowledge of phone numbers used to be my signature skill. Used to.

Recently, Bruce and I spent the day with "Craig," a friend who offered to help on the farm. At the end, I cheerfully bid him adieu: "Bye, Chris!" Where did that come from? How embarrassing.

They say that for two years after you have a baby, your brain does some kind or another of adjustment, all chemical and organic, allegedly, that makes mom flakey. Can I blame it on this? My 2nd son is 31 months old!

I really think the problem is not being in school. I know my brain is not made of muscle, but fat (and it keeps good company), but I must wonder whether flexing my brainpower daily in college kept me in better shape. Experientially, this seems possible -- I *feel* intellectually flabby.

So this leads to my next thought: When and how does a person like me get brain-stimulation? Most of my conversations with friends center on laundry soap and diapers. Heck, I call girlfriends in a flurry when I find a cleaning product I like. This is not doing much for stretching the brain cells. Worse, my husband is not a talker. Help!

Reflecting on my experience, I can see now in my 30's how old people become obsessed with retelling stories and describing illnesses and pains in detail. I'm just hoping I can reverse the pattern. Politics, religion, philosophy, literature ... anything, anything! Someone, talk to me! Quick, before my brain rots beyond repair. I just hope it isn't too late.