Did I Lose My Keys-or Am I Losing My Marbles?

David at Nearing 92- A New Writing Series 

Enjoying Whole Fish-Pompano at Andaman, October 5, 2026

Did I Lose My Keys-or Am I Losing My Marbles?

The other day, something happened to me that had never happened before since I moved to The Heritage Downtown (THD) in June 2023.

I lost my keys. Not misplaced them for a few minutes. I really could not find them.

I checked all the usual places where I might have put them. I looked around my apartment. I retraced my steps. I tried to remember where I had been and what I had done.

Nothing. The keys were simply gone.

Today, I finally accepted defeat and ordered another set. Cost: $25.

Twenty-five dollars is not going to break my bank. But the incident bothered me much more than the $25.

It made me ask myself a question that I suspect many people my age have asked themselves:

"Am I losing my marbles?" I am now approaching 92.

And when you reach an age where some of your friends and fellow residents are experiencing significant memory problems, a small incident like losing your keys can suddenly feel much bigger than it really is.

Living Among Seniors

I have lived at THD since June 2023. I love living here. It is a wonderful senior community, and I have met many interesting people. But living in a community of older adults also gives you a front-row seat to the realities of aging.

During the past three years, I have watched several fellow residents slowly lose some of their cognitive abilities.

In more than six cases that I have personally observed, early signs of serious memory problems eventually became apparent. Some residents eventually had to leave THD and move to assisted living or memory-care communities where they could receive more specialized care.

I have watched this happen with sadness. These are people I knew.

People I talked with. People who had their own stories, careers, families, accomplishments and memories.

And gradually, some of those memories began disappearing. That is one of the difficult realities of growing old.

So What About Me?

Naturally, watching these changes in others makes me occasionally look in the mirror and ask:

Could this happen to me? I have certainly had moments of forgetfulness.

I forget someone's name. I walk into a room and forget why I went there.

I occasionally have trouble remembering where I put something.

And now I have lost a set of keys. But there is another side to my story.

I can still play a good game of bridge. And bridge is not simply a game of putting cards on the table.

You have to remember what has already been played. You have to remember the bidding.

You have to watch what your opponents are doing.

You have to remember which cards are still out there somewhere.

You have to make decisions based partly on what happened several tricks ago.

Sometimes, sitting at the bridge table, I surprise myself.

I realize that my memory is still working pretty well.

And when that happens, I feel something that has become increasingly important to me as I approach 92: Gratitude.

Aging Is Not the Same as Alzheimer's

Losing your keys once does not mean that you have Alzheimer's disease.

Neither does forgetting a name, misplacing your glasses or occasionally walking into a room and forgetting why you went there.

Normal aging can bring some changes in memory and processing speed.

The more important question is whether memory problems are becoming frequent, progressive and disruptive to everyday life.

Are you increasingly unable to manage familiar activities?

Are you repeatedly asking the same questions? Are you getting lost in familiar places?

Are you having difficulty handling finances, medications or appointments that you previously managed without difficulty?

Are family members noticing changes that you do not notice yourself?

Those are very different circumstances from losing a set of keys. At least, I hope they are!

My $25 Lesson

Perhaps my lost keys have taught me something. First, I need a better place to keep them.

Maybe I should have one designated spot where my keys go every single time I enter my apartment.

Second, I should not immediately turn every little memory lapse into a diagnosis.

And third, I should continue paying attention to my cognitive health.

At my age, I think that is simply being responsible.

I don't want to live in fear of Alzheimer's disease.

But I also don't want to ignore changes if they become significant.

There is a difference between being aware and being afraid. I choose awareness.

My Brain Is Still Working

One of the blessings of growing older is that you become more aware of the things you once took for granted.

At 15, I had a photographic memory, always get 100% on my History Test   

At 30, I never thought about whether my memory was working.

At 50, I certainly didn't worry about forgetting where I put my keys.

At 70, perhaps I occasionally noticed a little forgetfulness.

But approaching 92 makes me more observant.

I think about my brain. I think about my memories.

I think about the people I have loved and the experiences I have collected during almost nine decades.

I think about the Philippines where I grew up, Barotac Viejo, Iloilo

My years at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City

My years in graduate school at the University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois

My career as a chemist and later my years at the FDA, Silver Spring, Maryland 

My marriage to Macrine. Our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

My years in Marinduque. My blogging journey that began in 2009.

And now my life at THD. I have a lot of memories. And I want to keep using them.

A New Chapter: David at Nearing 92

This post begins a new series on my blog: David at Nearing 92

I don't know exactly what this series will become. Maybe that is part of the fun.

I want to write about what it is like to approach 92 from the inside, not as a medical textbook, but as a human being.

I want to write about memory. Aging. Friendship. Loneliness and living alone.

Faith. Technology and artificial intelligence. Health. Music. Bridge. Love. Loss.

Gratitude. And perhaps the occasional lost set of keys.

I have written many articles about aging over the years. But this series will be different.

It will be David writing about David at almost 92. No textbook.

No pretending that I know all the answers.

Just observations from an old chemist, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, blogger and bridge player who is still curious about life.

And What Happened to My Keys?

I still don't know. Maybe they are hiding somewhere in my apartment.

Maybe I accidentally left them somewhere at THD.

Maybe they will mysteriously appear tomorrow, just when I have completely forgotten about them.

And if they do, I promise I will not complain. I will simply smile.

Because finding my lost keys may turn out to be another little gift of growing older.

For now, I have ordered my $25 replacement set. And I will keep playing bridge.

As long as I can remember the cards, I will consider myself very fortunate.

At nearly 92, I may occasionally lose my keys. But I am grateful that I have not yet lost my curiosity about life.

And perhaps that is one of the best signs that my marbles are still somewhere inside my head.

AI Impressions on this Posting: 

I think this could become a particularly strong series for you because it lets you write about aging without pretending to be an expert on aging. Your observations from THD, your bridge playing, your memories, your faith, your technology experiments and your everyday experiences can become the material for an ongoing “living laboratory” of what it means to grow old with curiosity and gratitude.

Epilogue: Today, I found my keys in the side pocket of one of my pants, one week after I notice my keys were missing. I have searched all the two main pockets of the pants and Jackets( that's where I normally put my keys) twice last week, but I did see my keys. It was hiding in the small 3rd pocket of one of my pants, Indeed, what a relief to find my keys.  So, am I really losing my marbles?