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?
Just a life long New Yorker sharing the journey through my lens. Please take note of a post’s date. The views I express here are subject to change and evolving as I grow and learn.
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.
CRS, wait, what are we talking about? LOL…
CRS is widely used, mainly in urban areas and taught by older generations. It’s not just NYC talk, it’s Boomer talk.
Wow, that’s news to me. But pretty cool!