Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Doggie Weigh In

August 10, 2010 1:40 pm the dog weighed in at 54 pounds. DOWN 7.4 pounds from a month ago! That's all. Nothing more to report.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Everywhere I look, I am reminded that I need to organize the things in my life. If my closet is too full, all I need do is get some of those plastic hooks that hang 5 items at a time and then drop down to only occupy one hanger space on my rod. If my purse is crowded I need a "kangaroo" thing that allows me to cram my stuff into multiple compartments that keep things in their place and also I can take the container and the contents out quickly and move it to a new purse already organized. If I have too much paperwork in the house, there are decorative boxes and file folders and envelopes and furniture made to hold all that stuff. If I have lots of jewelry there are people sized cabinets, some with mirrors, to hold my gems. The Container Store, which I adore, is devoted to providing solutions for storing and organizing our stuff. Elaborate closet systems, stacking plastic trays, kitchen storage drawers on wheels, racks, shoeboxes and shelving abound here. In the bathroom there are shower organizers and linen closets to hold my stuff. In my kitchen I have a holder for plastic grocery bags, several cannisters, a utensil organizer, knife block and so on. And while I agree that these organization tools are helpful and necessary in some cases, they don't address the root of the problem. It's not so much that I am disorganized, but rather that I have too much stuff.  When I think of what I had growing up compared to now, I marvel at how much stuff I actually have. It's not just me either. There are entire television programs devoted to helping people clean up the clutter and simplify their lives. As a society we have simply accumulated too much stuff.  The solution to this problem isn't buying more stuff to organize the mess, it's giving away items and reducing what you have to a reasonable amount of things. After that, you can organize what's left. Having 50 plastic storage bins to hold your collection of shoes, isn't organization; it's excess.