I’m a put-er down-er.
I absentmindedly put things down in random places, usually with no knowledge whatsoever that I’ve done so.
No flat(ish), waist-high(ish) surface is safe.
A few days ago, I noticed that our best kid-sized bike helmet was sitting on top of a very large Donate Box in the garage.
I wondered, “Hmmmm. Did I really declutter THAT? Don’t we need that?”
I wondered, but I left it in there.
I noticed it a few more times, was confused a few more times, and left it there a few more times.
Then, as I was using that ever-so-conveniently-located Donate Box to put something down (just for a second) as I got into the Suburban, I realized that most likely, this is what happened with the bike helmet.
Hubby took our 6yo’s training wheels off on Sunday, so I’m sure he went through the helmets hanging on the pegboard nearby to find the best one for her.
And absentmindedly put this bike helmet on top of the Donate Box.
Just for a second, I’m sure.
So I did what any good Slob Blogger would do. I took a picture so I could write a post.
Then, as I walked back inside to put the SD card into the computer, I realized that I should probably ALSO remove the helmet from the top of the Donate Box and put it back on the pegboard. Y’know, before we donate the Donate Box.
Obviously, I am part of an entire family of absentminded put-er down-ers.
Where is the very worst place to absentmindedly put (necessary) things down? On top of a Donate Box.
Thank goodness for the blog or you just might have donated it!
Nony, my family just made a recent absent minded donation ourselves. A few weeks ago I was shopping with my mom and I bought a fishing net for my husbands birthday. My mom was going to take it home with her to hide it since it was huge. When my dad came to pick her up we threw the fishing net in the van and my dad also volunteered to take some Christmas decorations to St. Vincent de Paul for me. We loaded them into the van and we all went on our merry way. Birthday day arrives and my mom cannot find the fishing net. My dad had left it with all of the Christmas stuff. Once they figured it out he ran down to see if he could get it back but they had sold it that morning. He felt awful, but I can’t be mad since he was willing to do my dirty work for me. Otherwise that Christmas stuff would still be sitting in my car.
Love your blog. I think we could be friends……because I think I’ve done almost everything you
write about! lol
I’m quite sure that’s what happened to a very cherished wooden spoon of mine. It was the perfect size, really pretty, and had been carved by my grandfather. One day I couldn’t find it anymore, and I’m sure it ended up donated or (worse!) in the trash during a random act of absent-mindedness. Thankfully I can ask my grandpa for another one but it still annoys me that I lost the first!
My husband worked as a gardener for an old couple. The lady often asked my husband to fill up the trailer with garden rubbish. One day there was a lot of extra stuff in the trailer, so he filled up on top of it. The man of the house had emptied his car boot into the trailer. It was not trash. But it went to the garbage heap with the rest of the trailer junk!
One Time I went to get something to drink and wanted to watch some TV. I could not find the remote anywhere and I was searching franticly. I somehow let the remote in the Fridge LOL.
Hahaha! I’ve done that!
I made an absent-minded donation a long time ago. The thrift store was coming for a pick-up but I forgot to get anything ready. I felt really bad about that but it couldn’t be helped.
Unknown to me, a friend dropped by a large back of scrap fabric for me to use in my quilting. She left it on the front porch. I saw it briefly but decided to deal with it later. In the meantime, the thrift store came and thought it was theirs. Oops.
That’s how I lost a suitcase filled with photos, toys and other things from my childhood. We had a storage room where I’d shoved everything we intended to donate (there was a LOT). I’d put the suitcase in there when we had company, fully intending to go back and get it, then completely forgot. A year later — yes, we procrastinate around here! — my husband decided it was time to clear out that storage room while I was visiting my mom. By the time I returned home the following week it was too late.
I do this all the time. It drives my husband crazy because he is NOT an absent-minded-put-er-down-er (well, at least with most things…he is with paperwork).. He’s misplaced his keys maybe two or three times in the 10 years we’ve been married. I’ve lost them too many time to count (so often that he once bought me a clapper key chain that beeped when you clap in a certain rhythm–would be using it still if my toddler hadn’t sucked on it and shorted it out). I’ve left my keys everywhere from the kids room to the silverware drawer. I once left my phone on the shoe rack in the closet (thank heavens it still had power when we were searching for it! I don’t know how long it would have taken me to find it otherwise).
Maybe you might consider moving the donation box to a location where it is less likely to be used for absent minded temporary placement of items not meant for donation.
Where that would be exactly would depend on you and your situation, of course. For me, it is on a shelf in my laundry room. Nothing ever ends up in my donation bag ‘accidentally’ because it is not a convenient place to just put something temporarily. But I fill it quite easily while purposefully eliminating the excess.
Maybe you can find such a location, so the accidental donations don’t occur.
Good idea! Except my donation box is usually really big!
I have a friend who used to keep her donate box in her laundry room (this was years ago). She was doing laundry one day and put one of their little girl’s very nice, expensive fancy church dress down on top of the box without thinking about it. Later, her husband helpfully took the box in to donate and she didn’t bother to go out and look before he took it away. Later she remembered she’d put the dress there “temporarily” and so she questioned him when he got home (that was before cell phones). When he saw the dress on the top of the pile he didn’t ask any questions, he just assumed she wanted to get rid of it. They called the second hand store, but it was too late. The dress was already sold! She bought herself an expensive lesson that day. 😛
Ha ha ha… that’s me!
Once I bought a very fancy embellished cardigan. As usual, the second time I wore it, I threw it down when I took it off, instead of putting it away, or at least hanging it on the wardrobe door. I threw it on top of a big, sealed donation box which had been sitting for weeks – maybe months – waiting … and the next day while I was at work, my husband took the box – and my almost new expensive cardigan – to the charity shop. I decided I’d go and buy it back, but it had already gone, as well it might. 🙁
I think my best effort would’ve been my school gloves. Yes, back in the 70s I attended a school where gloves were part of the uniform for us young ladies. Getting ready for school I couldn’t find them anywhere, looked all through the house to no avail. As a last resort I decided to retrace my steps from coming home the previous afternoon. I re-enacted walking through the door, and remembered that my first job was piano practice. Opened the piano stool and there were the gloves. Apparently I’d opened the lid of the stool, removed the gloves and “swapped” them for the sheet music.