Take Two

I needed to find an important something-or-another the other day so I ventured into the twilight zone-- otherwise known as our home office. You've got to have nerve to enter that room! In addition to the old computer there's a sewing machine, fabric, a banker's box full of my writing, two bookcases loaded with heaven know's what, a huge box of furnace filters, a music stand, a ripped sofa cushion with bits of foam oozing from the hole, a half-done knitting project--(I quit when I realized the hat would not fit any living human), an easel, and some pieces of foam board. That's just for starters. Do you think I found what I was looking for? Nope. Not a chance.

We've been saying for months that were gonna clean that room up; but it's not happening. There are so many more fun things to do than to sort through boxes of cancelled checks and snippets of fabric. So here's what I decided. In addition to the obligatory weekly vacuuming around the boxes and the swipe of the swiffer over the computer monitor; each and every time I enter the room I will take two things out, or at least organize two things. Today I put an unsent birthday card in the secretary where it belongs and placed two renegade bingo daubers in my art supplies basket. That's all. And it's amazing how quickly things are shaping up! So much so that I've adopted the 'take two' policy for every room in the house. After work I wander into each room and deal with two items. It only takes a couple of minutes. Really.

Of course I still cook, do dishes, throw in a load of laundry, vacuum, and scour the bathroom regularly. (We're not filthy people, just prone to clutter.) But sometimes when stuff winds up where it's not supposed to be, we sort of cease to notice it after awhile. It becomes invisible. This easy little habit is helping me to see that I've left bobby pins on the bathroom vanity and price tags from my new sweater on the dresser. And I'm thinking twice before just tossing something on the nearest flat surface.

Will this habit turn me into a neat freak? Never. I love a house that looks a little tousled. Nothing should be perfect. That's not real. A little order, that's all I want. Two items at a time!

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