RANDOM REFLECTIONS

Adapting to sudden memory loss stimulates creativity. Hiding the problem from others is a natural self-preservation reflex, particularly since rebuilding recollections involves jumps through time and space, which many might consider proof of madness. With time and patience, remembrance gaps could be restored if the amnesiac can cope with the world around him. Yet, if patience fails, becoming a patient is, perhaps, a remedy. There are new medical procedures that may tap the power of imagination, not only permitting patients to rehabilitate psychologically, but also to optimize future decisions. However, if a mind's eye compensates for missing memories by catching brief glimpses of an uncertain future, can the brain recover and separate reality from fanciful dreams and feared doubts? ... Written as first-person fiction, using some vignettes from the author's actual experiences as background, this puzzling plot of suspense winds through situations and emotions to an unexpected conclusion. It is an American tale, built around snippets of a life during the last half of the twentieth century; yet with a few detail changes, the portrayed experiences, relationships, ideas, and thoughts may be typical of anyone, anywhere.