Self-knowledge moments can happen anytime. Here are three of my recent moments.

Self-knowledge about losing socks

“I found the missing sock on the laundry room floor,” Keith says. I cock my head. “You know, the mate to the one I put on my bureau when we folded clothes.” 

“I don’t remember any of that,” I say, shaking my head.

“You must have sock dementia.”

“Yup, and I think I’ve had that impairment for quite a while.” Ever since I decided not to worry about missing socks. If one doesn’t show up in the laundry bin, washing machine, dryer, or bundled in a bedsheet, I figure it will either turn up or not. Do I want to spend my time searching for and beating myself up about a missing sock? I ask myself.

Self-knowledge about giving away and losing

My ducky token lands on The Park. Thank goodness, because I own that space and won’t have to pay rent. But I only own two other properties on the Monopoly Discover board: the Donut Shop and the Library. All my properties are low-rent and in different color groups. Unlike our granddaughter Abigail and my daughter Jessica, I don’t own empires, not even one which would bring in a higher rent.

And I’m down to my last dollar.

On the next roll of the dice, I land on one of Abigail’s properties, an empire, and hand over the Donut Shop, Library, and The Park cards plus all my money—that dollar. Even in total, they don’t cover the rent. 

Game over. Yeah!!

Grandma is good at giving things away and losing.

Self-knowledge about giving away and winning

“Let’s play Crazy Eights,” Abigail says. “Mama, you shuffle and deal the cards. I’ll turn up the card and go first.”

In turn, we put down a card that matches the suit (stars, shamrocks, moons, hearts) or number (1-10) on the upturned card. A blank card works, too, or a crazy eight to change the suit. If we don’t have a card that matches—or a blank or crazy eight—we draw from the deck and add cards to our hands until we draw a match to play. The person with the first empty hand wins.

Guess who that usually is?

Grandma is good at giving things away and winning.

Epilogue

“Look Grandma, I’m missing a sock,” Abigail says, holding up her socked foot to show me.

Abigail’s mama chuckles. “The sock mate is probably on the laundry room floor.”

Sock dementia must be genetic, Grandma thinks.

And guess who wins the next game of Crazy Eights? Maybe that’s genetic, too.