Living in the moment

This is my Mum's Dad, Grandad B. Grandad B is 78 years old.

He is a kind, gentle soul who is usually pretty happy to go with the flow. He has his moments but doesn't everyone.

I'm always seeing posts on social media about living in the moment and being present. It's something I strive to do more of. Grandad B does this without having to try. This is not done by choice. His brain is rarely able to store any short term memories.  Meaning that moments after finishing a task or returning home from a walk, he has no recollection of the event.

We mustn't mistake this inability to remember for something else. It is not that the task or activity was insignificant or that he didn't enjoy it. He enjoys lots of things. He enjoys them in the moment.

I have heard two ways of describing how dementia effects a person's memory. Each of those ways talks about the brain being unable to retain and store factual information but how it can still retain and store emotional information. This means that the enjoyment and all of the positive  emotions, Grandad B feels when he's doing an activity, stay with him. So he may not remember why but he remembers feeling happy. Isn't that what counts?