My memory, I know, isn’t what it used to be.
Sure, I have a pretty good knowledge of being able to find something in the newspaper months after the fact. I just remember when something was printed or what page it was on with freakishly good callback.
If I don’t write something down, though, I’m apt to forget it. If an event isn’t in my calendar, I tend to space. Sorry to the kids in the Lisbon play last week who thought I would be there for a practice on Thursday only to remember no, I have Java Jazz at Mount Vernon this evening. Or to people whose stories I’ve gotten halfway through an edit and didn’t realize until it was in print that I only caught half the tense changes I had meant to make before I got distracted.
At the beginning of February, the Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles sent me a reminder postcard about my license needing to be renewed. I now remember seeing the postcard talking about the Gold Star I.D. and scoffing about how I rarely travel via plane, why would I need that, as I shuffled said postcard to the circular file.
Flash forward to Tuesday, March 28. Roughly two weeks after my most recent birthday, I was covering an event in town and the term license came up. And for some reason it struck me to glance at my driver’s license and realize “that needs to get renewed.”
I made the observation on Facebook once you reach a certain age, you rarely get carded anymore, so you basically just make sure your license is in your pocket when driving. You ramble off a birthday to the cashier at Gary’s and they know by the time you get to the 19 at the start of your birth year that you are well over the legal drinking age. Or at Chameleon’s, you order a beer with your meal and it throws them off because that is not your usual order and this deviation is now an odd omen for all involved.
Now, Iowa’s one of those great states that gives you a grace period of two months on either side to renew your license. Iowa’s also one of those states that gives you flexibility in where to renew your license. So Wednesday afternoon I set up an appointment and drove to Cedar Rapids.
With the appointment scheduled at 2:45 p.m., I checked in by 2:30 p.m. My number was called at 2:35 p.m., my photo taken, Gold Star ID elements collected and the paper I.D. paid for and printed by 2:40 p.m., and I was back on the road by 2:45 p.m. Talk about service.
I also might need to check in on that jury summons postcard I recently received.
If I can just remember where I put the darn thing…