For How Long Or Short Can You Hold A Thought

I want to look up a word, by the time I've typed dictionary into google I've forgotten the word.

There is a train of thought I wish to pursue with some more thinking, upon thinking that I wish to think about this thought more I forget the thought.

It has just taken me ages to remember the snapshot of someone else’s life that I witnessed yesterday that made me wonder what an average human person is, and the possibility that a perfectly average person would probably turn out to be below the average I would expect.

I stood in disbelief listening to a mother making excuses and deferring responsibility onto her child, explaining to the teacher that the reason her six year old daughter didn't have her book bag that day was because the child forgot it and left it in the car, and the reason she doesn't regularly read her school book, is because the child forgets to remind her(this also explains why her reading record book doesn't get written in by the parent, as the child hasn't read anything to record, and the child has forgotten to tell the parent that the parent should be doing so) The teacher explains that if the problem is that her school book has been lost, to let her know and they'll arrange a replacement. This is met with more excuses. Teacher closes with grace and diplomacy by explaining that the book bag and reading issues have been raised with the child previously, and that she had reached the conclusion that it would be best to discuss it with the child's mother, as she would resolve the situation and maybe take on some of the responsibility to help her daughter to remember to do her reading and bring her books to school.

It reminded me of a conversation I overheard on the bus between a girl and her phone, explaining the reason for her enrolling on a hair and beauty course at the local college was that her only other option was to sign on. And while part of me admired her determination not to sign on, I was confused and disheartened that she would pursue something in which she had little interest, because she didn't seem able to consider that there may be more appealing opportunities outside of the 10 mile radius in which she exists.