For the past several days, I have been organizing our storage bins for part of every day. This means equal parts, putting things away, and tossing what is no longer needed. I like this activity. I like to get things straight. I am one of those people who can walk into a completely chaotic space, start in one corner, and slowly but surely get things organized and put away. When confronted with a task like this, such as an overstuffed garage, I get my water bottle, put on some music, and start to sort one piece at a time. I then put likes with likes, and before long, there is a little spot of order, which gets bigger the longer I have to work.

A key element in this task, however, is the necessity not to rush. Hurrying creates stress, which leads to making snap decisions, such as, “I just can’t find a place for that today, so I’ll just put it over here.” And before you know it, your “over here” pile is out of control, and you are heading back into the same chaos you started with.

Tomorrow, I will tackle more sorting. I have a goal that one day each of our possessions will have its own designated place, and I’ll automatically know where to go to find whatever I’m looking for. I am slowly but surely making that goal a reality.

Now, I need to go to bed so I can be rested to uncover the new treasures I’ll find tomorrow. One baby step at a time.

Night, night.