I lost Northampton one day a short time ago. Driving up Schoenersville Road, I lost Northampton. I was clueless.

He who in his prime was known as “Mr. Rand McNally” could not find Northampton. He to whom “Waze” is a 4-letter word, and who at a Bethlehem City Council meeting once infelicitously and injudiciously referred to proposed legislation as a “worthless piece of waze” could not find Northampton.

This is how it’s going to be from here on, I thought. This is how it ends, I told myself. Loss of memory associated with aging begins, not with the big stuff, but with a nibbling at the edges.

In fact, if you are paying attention, this should be senior moment #10 you are reading. The last senior moment I shared with you was #9. But I never shared a senior moment #4. There is no senior moment #4 here. There is a hole in the series.

I not only lost Northampton that day, I lost the memory of losing Northampton. I forgot the forgetting. Till now.

Now I’m caught up. I feel better. An interesting time of life.

Edward J. Gallagher