I know time dulls one’s brain, especially if, like any other muscle, it’s not exercised with regularity. I like to think I keep my mind pretty active, what with my 8,000 different interests and seemingly weekly new ventures. But it feels like it’s going soft. And the last few weeks, especially more so. Certain little incidents, and I mean really insignificant, are adding up in ways with which I’m not comfortable — because they’re affecting my eating!

For example, last week I went to make one of my standard lunch meals, tofu and mixed vegetables with rice. Pretty simple. Except that about halfway through the cooking process, I realized I wasn’t steaming mixed vegetables, but frozen broccoli instead. Like I said, minor infraction, but still a weird slip of the mind for something I do so regularly.

Then, a few days later, I was cooking another favorite, mixed veggies with tofu in curry. Except after I was done cooking, I realized I forgot the tofu.

This morning, I started heating up veggie sausages and whole grain waffles. The waffles only take four minutes to cook; the sausages, about 12. So I normally start the sausages, then a few minutes before they’re done, put the waffles in the toaster oven. But this morning? Put in the waffles first and didn’t realize it until five minutes into the process.

I’ve been suffering from what feels like a mild case of ADHD for a few years now. The nature of my work and diverse interests lends to this sort of unfocused behavior, and living in the world of the social internet has not helped one bit. But now I’m spacing on tasks I otherwise have done for years without thinking. That worries me a bit. Because if my cognitive processes are starting to break down at 34, I’m certain to be a drooling wreck by the time I reach retirement age.