Sometimes, I pretend
my quirks of organization keep our home running smoothly, but I suspect my
husband and son view my penchant for orderliness as tremendously irksome. Right
now, the kitchen desk sports hand sanitizer sprays lined in a militarily
precise row. Next to them, a black box contains a pair of rubber gloves, three “back-up”
face masks, and the four thick masks that we all prefer. Those masks, washed in
hot water after every use, get rotated into the box to prevent us from
overusing any one mask since they are identical. There’s been tons of joking
that having a pandemic gives me a valid excuse for my love affair with bleach!
This period of pause is the longest I’ve ever gone without working or being a caregiver. It allows me to indulge my need for tidiness. At the beginning of the year, we got rid of our ancient, heavy bedroom furniture and picked up something functional that feeds into my growing need for simple lines. Imagine my delight when I found wonderful fabric bins that fit our drawers perfectly. I Marie Kondo-ed everything! Folding clothes, once a ho-hum chore, now delights me. Everything has its place because there is a place for everything.
I blissfully
structure other things in my daily life. Do I hunt for keys? Never! My house
keys reside in their own separate pouch that gets tucked into a zipped section
of my purse. Naturally, I buy purses with similar features to keep searching
for anything in my purse to a minimum. Other women do that, right?
When I leave the
house for the day, my routine never strays. I make certain my tote contains the
necessary items for the day. Pens, journal, book, water, lunch. I check the bag
twice before zipping it up and heading out the door. Before returning home at
the end of each day, I repeat the process twice. I figure a little time with
upfront coordination saves me time. If something gets left behind, that means
trip backtracking. OCD, or efficient use of time? You decide.
Copyright Elizabeth Abrams Chapman
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