It always seems to happen, and happen more often lately when I go to pack for trips. I forget the most basic of items. One time I forgot deodorant for myself. Stinky. Another time I forgot toothpaste. Rotten. Then there was the time I forgot pain relievers. Ouch.

On our road trip the other weekend, the things I forgot happened to be T’s essentials. Once we were a good 35 minutes into the drive, I realized, hey, I packed about 23 different pool toys – floaties, squirters, sinkers, and inflatables – for T to use in the pool, but I forgot the one that helps him see once he’s actually in the pool: his goggles. Well, that was easily fixed once we checked in and a customer service gal came over and welcomed T with – ta da! – A brand new pair of goggles. Lucky for us, we have been to this place many times before, and I apparently forgot this little welcome gift is status quo. Thank you customer service angel, you saved me on this one, and I no longer need to go on an “emergency” Target (or CVS, Walgreen’s, etc.) run.

However, it appears I wasn’t in the clear yet. The other main staple I forgot on this trip came to my attention once C was readying T for bed. At around 8:30pm I hear C holler to me from the other room, “Did you pack any overnight pull-ups? I can’t find them.” Yeah, sorry babe, but you cannot find them because there aren’t any to find. Crap. Thankfully, this was not an adventure in the desolate Outback, and we are literally a few blocks within all sorts of stores ready to fix my forgetfulness problem. So off C trekked. Once he was in the store, he was even so kind as to phone me back at the room and ask if there was ANYTHING else that I could remember that I’d forgotten. Actually, yes, yes there was: Tums. I always forget those stupid things and always when I need them most (after days chock full of crazy eating and drinking, and in this case, crazy eating and drinking in 115 degree heat).

The last thing I forgot to throw in that T had asked me to pack was a puzzle or a game. Oops. But as it turned out we didn’t really have or make time for games much; there was too much swimming to do. Besides, we just did a puzzle when we got home.

Rather than beat myself up repeatedly each time we travel, I might as well just laugh and accept the fact that I’m becoming forgetful in my older, motherly age and that these little duh moments are now just part of the journeys we take. I’ll consider it one of our new traditions instead of a glitch: Viola, problem solved. So I guess my little tip here is that there are problems, such as forgetting things on a trip, which are easily fixed with a quick run to the store, and then there are PROBLEMS, like world hunger, war, and disease, which obviously are not as easily resolved or laughable.  A big thank you to my husband for reminding me of this every time we go on a trip together… and another big thanks to him for making those last-minute store-runs, too.