CRS Syndrome (Can’t Remember Shit)

Some years ago my little sister said, “Bro, you have CRS Syndrome.” I asked her what the hell is that? She told me that it means you have “can’t remember shit” syndrome. Basically, it means that you can’t remember shit, aka, CRS. I thought that was rather funny and quite clever.

I have since then adopted the term, and I use it often to explain away my forgetfulness. If I do not immediately jot down my new ideas on a notepad, or say what I need to say to someone, then most likely I’ll just end up forgetting. I can’t even stay mad at people because I forget that they wronged me. However, though I may not remember details, what I do not forget is a feeling. So when I see someone who wronged me, I may not remember exactly why, (sometimes I do, I may be exaggerating my level of CRS) but I know that I don’t trust, like, or engage with them. I know to keep my distance, etc.

It’s not all bad though, having CRS means that I also don’t remember painful details. This has proven helpful when it comes to dealing with trauma. For instance, I recently saw a friend of mine in a coma. She was hooked up to all sorts of medical equipment, and her breathing was labored, her hair was cut as she had brain surgery, and I couldn’t recognize her. Yesterday, I went to say goodbye to her one final time. I looked in the casket, I shed tears, again, I couldn’t recognize her. CRS is helpful in this type of scenario because the only things I remember about her are her dancing with me in class, the way she said my name, and her amazing undying energy. I remember the things I saw frequently. The images of what I briefly saw will fade away, leaving only the good memories. For that I am grateful.

In my day to day life, when it comes to remembering stuff, I’ve become a masterful user of the Evernote app. I actually pay for a subscription, and I use it for keeping track of my blog post ideas, workout plans, and simple day to day crap I just want to remember. I use a password manager to remember my passwords, though I don’t write the actual passwords, I write clues that I can actually remember. Yes, I do remember some things. LOL.

If we make plans to hang out, and I don’t put it on my calendar, with several intrusive popup reminders, then that too is something that I would end up forgetting. Most recently I forgot about a pizza date with two amazing ladies. Coincidentally, some things came up, and they were pulling out anyway, but if I can forget a “date” with two dope ladies, what does that say for the rest of society? Y’all don’t stand a chance! Anyway, if I don’t write it down, it’s a wrap.

I know I’m not the only one who has CRS. If you are also a sufferer of the “Can’t remember Shit” syndrome, what tools and steps have you taken to work around it?

4 Comments

  1. I used to think CRS was kind of funny. Now I’m 71 and it’s getting a lot worse and it’s not funny at all. But sometimes I can still laugh at myself and somtimes all I can do is cuss like hell with exasperation. Maybe in a few years it will be bad enough that I won’t even remember that I have it. Funny and sad, good and bad, all at the same time.

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