Mental Filing

I have always loved stationary and calendars. The stability of thoughts on paper is very reassuring. They can't get away so easily once you write them down. They can't dissipate like fog when the sun comes out.

Have you ever worked in an office and witnessed what happens when the filing piles up? You can't find anything, stuff gets lost, it's a nightmare. That is the sort of chaos that goes on in my brain when I don't write things down, frequently. Writing is mental filing. By writing them down, in their proper place, the thoughts go from unsorted chaos to to-do lists, reports, lessons, emails, letters, articles, poems, or stories. Mostly they end up on a list, specifically a to-do list. When I let it go too long, that is when things start to go wrong.

I need a list. Not just any old list, a good, well organized list. I need a calendar, preferably one that is tied into my list. A few years ago I tried to use one of those Franklin planner things. It's a great idea, just requires hiring an assistant to keep it totally accurate for you, or you never do anything but maintain your organization. Plus, they are big! I had to buy a bigger bag, just to haul that thing around. Hauling around that much paper can tweak your back. Thank goodness for technology. The system I use now is darn near perfect. The only real flaw is me. I still have to stop and put the information into the system.

The last couple of weeks my mental filing has gotten way out of hand. I have a pretty good excuse. I have had a rotten cold. I don't remember the last time I have been sick for this long. It wasn't anything serious, just annoying enough to render me mostly useless. I finally sat down and updated my list. It is a long list. It is kind of frightening. I have to get my courage up just to look at it.

After filing away all the business of life onto the list, I am still left with all those other thoughts that need writing down. While lounging endlessly on the couch for days I have had many interesting thoughts that need a bit of writing about. Too bad I was so lazy that the thought of writing them out was too daunting. I am afraid that many of them may be lost. I should at least try to make a list...

1. The Christmas Spirit - how to find it when it is 80 degrees and pouring rain
2. Families - missing them and the opposite of that
3. Why do kids grow up, and we stay the same?
4. Carl and I have been married 20 years this month - how did we accomplish that?
5. I want to write a story about all the lost shoes you see hanging on wires, and lying about on the road or in a parking lot. Who did they belong to and how did they get lost?
6. Am I prepared for a real tropical storm? What is the emergency plan for a flood?
7. It has been a year since I have had any caffeine.
8. Why do I think eating lamb sounds gross when I have never tried it, and beef, pork & chicken are ok?

Look for thrilling posts on the above topics soon. :-)