Are you searching for something … you know, like a dead AA battery, a remote control that doesn’t actually work with anything, or maybe a half-used roll of Scotch tape?
Relax – I’ve found it in my junk drawer.
Well, it’s not a junk drawer, so much as a “junk desk.” I just worked up the courage to do a little organizing, and let’s just say, my desk is little more than a swirling black hole, where items I cannot seem to find a place for, go to die.
You know those lanyards you get at conferences that hold your “My Name Is …” tag? I guess I’ve been unconsciously tossing them into one of four desk drawers over the years. If you need one, I have 16 – in a variety of colors.
I have enough half-used rolls of tape to wrap Christmas gifts for the next 14 years. I seriously never think to look for tape in my desk; but, I apparently do find it an ideal place to stash the rolls I’m endlessly buying, when I can’t seem to find the one I bought a few months ago.
My organization project also turned up two Phillip’s head screwdrivers, a hammer, three pairs of scissors and around two dozen pencils. Who uses pencils anymore? I’m not even sure how they got there.
I don’t lose buttons often, but when I do, I guess my desk seems like just the spot to put them.
I sure am glad I still have that copy of my 1997 tax return; too bad I cannot seem to find my current home owner’s insurance policy.
Why do we do this? Maybe you don’t have an entire desk dedicated to “junk,” but most households have something that at least resembles a junk drawer. They are the devil’s playground. Okay, that may be extreme, but they serve no purpose.
Is it really that hard to let go of that lanyard from the “Wonders of Weather” workshop I attended in 2009? It’s almost as if I’m afraid to get rid of these things – to the extent that my home now has a condensed hoarder’s section.
I can tell you the one thing I didn’t find in my desk: The socks that mysteriously disappear from the dryer. In fact, I didn’t even find the mates they left behind. (Those are in my sock drawer, silly.) You never know, there could be a “day of sock judgement” when all of the wayward socks are reunited. Keeping the socks with no matches makes sense … if you’re crazy.
I’ve decided to let go of this stuff. Hey, now I have a lot of unique things to hand out for trick-or-treat this year. I’m being kind to the earth, and getting rid of things I no longer need. It really is a win-win!
By the way, do you know anyone who is looking for a good deal on a slightly used desk? It has tons of storage space.
