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Losing Things . . . Losing My Mind

June 21, 2010 By Dana White | 9 Comments

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My husband used to know where to find his keys at any given moment.

Then he married me.

The most frustrating thing about being a slob is my tendency to lose things. 

“Tendency” really isn’t a strong enough word.  If I had the brain power right now, I’d think of a word to fit that sentence that could be defined as “sure thing.” 

I have a spot for keys.  I have a spot for my camera cord.  Those things are generally in their spots.  But the more life spins and I neglect dealing with little messes, the less those things seem to be where they’re supposed to be when I need them. 

I’m feeling out-of-sorts today.  I am trying to do little things here and there to help with the mess that’s been so quickly re-appearing in the past few days, but I feel like I’m spinning my wheels.  And then, I needed to get something up on ebay . . . and I couldn’t find my camera cord.  My camera cord that is always in the exact same spot. 

And yet, it’s not there today.  I know that it’s in this room that I’ve been neglecting, but the thought of digging through piles to find it wears me out. 

I did “make do.”  One of my best qualities is the ability to “make do.”  I sometimes wonder if I developed that quality because I am a slob and am always losing things, or if I’m a slob because I have that quality.  I mean, if I’m good at coming up with alternative solutions, I don’t feel a pressing need to be sure something can be found the next time I need it.

Still though, I’d rather not have the mess, know where things are, and not lose my mind. 

As we’re doing VBS this week, and I’m starting to majorly stress about how in the world I’m going to be ready for vacation, I can’t do the major overhaul that I feel is in order.  So, I’m doing my best to stick to my daily checklist.

Today I:

Made bed.

Emptied Dishwasher.

Cleaned kitchen.

Wanted to sweep. 

Looked and looked for the broom. 

Gave up.

Did a focused 5 minute pickup. 

Continually worked on laundry.  (It’s Monday, after all.)

Sorry for the scatter-brainedness of this post.  I think I need to go make a to-do-before-vacation list.  Otherwise, I may lose my mind. 

Related Posts:

Read Newer Post Feeling a Little Better
Read Older Post Two Steps Back, and One Step Forward

Filed Under: a place for everything, failures, figuring myself out | 9 Comments

Comments

  1. Robyn says

    June 21, 2010 at 10:28 pm

    Isn't it the truth how quickly things become so incredibly cluttered?!? If anyone walked in my laundry room, I think I would just have to lock them in there so they could never tell anyone how cluttered it is.

    Can't wait to meet ya at the Summit.

    Thanks for linking up to Mingle Monday. I hope you have a great week at VBS!

    Robyn

    Reply
  2. Lenetta @ Nettacow says

    June 21, 2010 at 10:42 pm

    Hmm, stronger than tendency… likelihood?

    Reply
  3. Nony (A Slob Comes Clean) says

    June 21, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    THanks Lenetta. I like likelihood . . . but it could probably be even stronger.

    Reply
  4. Mar says

    June 22, 2010 at 2:38 am

    Perhaps the camera cord is hanging out with our SSA cards, which I can't find right now. They should be in the desk drawer, but they aren't. Nor are they in my wallet… I have until Thursday night to find them. Hopefully, they will at least be together.

    Reply
  5. Lydia says

    June 23, 2010 at 2:45 pm

    I could help you if you had lost Tupperware lids. They are notorious for running off with…..mismatched socks!

    Reply
  6. Mar says

    June 24, 2010 at 1:12 am

    Found the SSA cards for the family – at 1:30 a.m. because I just couldn't go to bed the other night not knowing where they are. Sorry, your camera cord wasn't with them after all…

    Reply
  7. Kathirynne says

    March 3, 2011 at 5:29 pm

    The word you want is "propensity". Meaning "an innate inclination."

    p.s. I just ADORE your blog. I've been reading the archives, and I was so inspired that I went home last night and completely decluttered my daughter's room. (There is a laundry basket full of "randomness" left that I was too tired to deal with at 11:00 last night….but it will be dealt with today after work.) The best part? She had no trouble finding her clothes, shoes, coat and backpack this morning…..which meant no frustrated searches before school. Thank you so very much for being the push I needed to tackle my house and to recommit to my goal of transforming it into the haven I want it to be (and that my family DESERVES it to be.)

    Reply
  8. Shanna says

    December 18, 2011 at 2:02 am

    Making do. That is how I got away with it for so long. Homework-did it on the bus on the way to school. Studied for tests in the hall and other classes on the day of the test. Still got mostly A’s and B’s-totally got away with it. House-well if you don’t have kids and are young you can spend 12 hours toothbrushing a house before company. For a party someone actually said “Your bathroom is so clean I could probably eat off the toilet”-yep, it was a guy.

    When the day came that I couldn’t fake it it was VERY humiliating and embarassing. A 3 year old, cranky 10 month old and being 7 months preggers means you can NOT skate by and your neighbors will of course help you carry everything in from the July 4th party in the cul de sac. All the I was gonnas couldn’t help me then!! I actually cried that night when I told my husband about it. Later, when I morphed into being humbled by this experience I began to learn, not change, but at least learn that I had been getting away with a lot.

    Reply
  9. Judith says

    August 26, 2018 at 5:19 pm

    My mother used to pack up our caravan before we went on family vacations. She died early May when my sister and brother were in their early teens and I was 24. I was home from college until September looking after the younger ones so I got the job of packing the caravan in the weeks running up to the vacation. None of us had a clue where to start, but my dad put a lined sheet of paper on the board in the kitchen and whenever anyone remembered something to prepare or pack, they wrote it there. I would then either cluster things to do into like jobs, or pick one that I had time for between doing housework and picking them up from school. We didn’t forget ANYTHING! And I could actually sleep at night😅

    Reply

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A Slob Comes Clean is the completely honest (and never-ending) story of my deslobification process. As I find ways to keep my home under control, I share the truth about cleaning and organization methods that actually work for a real-life slob. And I'm funny.

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