I don’t know what’s wrong with me, except that my autopilot seems to be stuck on “Vague, Glassy-Eyed Stare.” It is an especially good time to try and sell me something since I seem to be physically incapable of putting items down in any store and saying, “No!”
Witness the shopping spree for organization toys (namely, boxes and things to hold other things) that took place between 7:30PM and 9:00PM last night – I hit three stores and did considerable damage (although one of those stores was Home Sense, so the damage to my bank account wasn’t as bad as I thought.) But I had to go back today to get the magazine holder that matched the slim paper holder and square drawer things I bought last night – it’s not because I’m a completist. No, certainly not. It’s because I didn’t want someone to go wandering around the store on a futile hunt for the other two pieces that matched the magazine holder and not find them. It would annoy them. Or maybe it would annoy me if I were in their shoes. Whatever.
So I did go back and get the matching magazine holder, and picked up two plates that matched a vase Julie got at Ikea last week, and two books on retro decorating. As the clerk was putting the things into bags, she was going to put everything into separate bags, but I stopped her and told her the books would fit in the magazine holder. The two women in line behind me started whispering, and the one said to the other, “Oh, she should just put the books into the bag with that holder thing. It makes more sense than getting another bag.”
Hi there! Firstly, I can hear you! Secondly, that’s what I’m doing! Thirdly, it was slightly creepy to turn around and catch the two of you talking about me, and then have you both start giggling!
So anyways. Armed with all my fun toys for organizing (including a label maker!), you’d think I’d be in hog heaven today, sorting and filing and rearranging things. Yet, strangely, I can’t muster the energy to do anything. I should have just quelled my urge to play organizer this morning and done what any sane person should do on a Saturday morning – go to the market, come home, and spend the day eating junk food, knitting and watching movies (which is what I had originally planned on doing).
Except that now my futon/couch is awash in fun storage boxes, and I’m stuck trying to decide what’s going in them. I’ve taken everything off one bookshelf and started on another. There is recycling piled by the door and four cases of empty beer bottles in my closet that need to be returned. I’ve promised everyone pictures and that ain’t happening – at least, today. I’m going to regroup and go from there. I haven’t eaten since this afternoon when I had a couple of ears of corn, so a trip to Subway is in order since I can’t seem to decide what I want to make for dinner.
Maybe what I need is someone to come over and poke me with a stick until I make up my mind about what I want to do – or, better yet, just tell me where to put everything.
Are you busy tonight?
Do not fret. You are absolutely on the right track.
After a serious shopping trip (particularly one that involves going back to the store a second time) one needs to immediately abandon all organizational plans.
The best thing to do is to leave everything in a big mess and be engaged in other “activites” that others, not in the know, might describe as “laziness”. No! It is not laziness – it is merely the required zen-like non-mindful meditation one’s mind must to do attend to the task at a later time. During this meditation, you will – every so often – gaze over al the piles, consider what you might do with them, make vague plans but make absolutely no physical movement whatsoever.
This is a critical time! Do not foreshorten it!
Then, in perhaps a day or so, you will begin sorting through these items and get to the real business of implementing your plan.
As an example, I spent a good portion of the day at the mall. I bought, perhaps, too many things. They are now (9:42pm) piled on my bed.
Will I put them away tonight? No! I will not. Instead, I will move them – probably gently – onto a free spot on the floor. But tomorrow, well-rested and having spent the night dreaming of ways to wear all these new clothes, I will endeavour the difficult task of shoving them into my closet. Were I to try this task tonight I would immediately and irrevocably hate my new clothes because I would associate them with a late-night closet cramming session.
See how that works?
In other news, god do I need a life!
I must say – and I’m sure you are shocked, Rebecca, to hear me say this – that I must agree with Marylynn once again. You have the rest of your life to put these items away – relaaaax…
At my apartment, for instance, I have had the spare bed covered for two days now with neat little piles of laundry, nicely sorted but still ALL dirty, just waiting to be walked downstairs to the laundry room to be cleaned. I haven’t sat around doing nothing this weekend: I’ve been reading Lord of the Rings and National Geographic, I’ve watched some TV, a movie (THX 1138), and played many hours of Rollercoaster Tycoon (I might add, sitting at my desk with my back conveniently turned away from the laundry).
Thanks for reminding me that I need to do laundry! It’s taking over my bedroom, and I have not much choice as far as work clothes go for tomorrow.