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What’s His Name?
An alternative to Ginkgo Biloba
As Columbia University says, age can bring many benefits: “Greater sense of acceptance of self and of others; desire for connection and the means to create it; life experiences that help us make smart decisions,” and so on. But sometimes age can also make us struggle to remember someone’s name.
When I struggle, I silently recite the alphabet, using the letters as prompts: A (Abel, Allen, Aleck), B (Ben, Bill, Bob), C (Charles . . .). Sooner or later, I’ll remember the first name; then I’ll start working on the last.
The method is foolproof, but it may require patience, as it would if you were trying to remember a name like Zachariah Zegota.
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John Porter manages his family’s cattle ranch in California, where he also writes essays, stories, and screenplays — and frequently recites the alphabet.
