I like neat. I like orderly. I prefer my "things" to have places and for them to stay in those places. I like knowing where the scissors are when I need them without having to search through the junk drawer and half a dozen other places to find them. I love putting something where it belongs and being able to go back to it days or weeks later to find that it is still there! There is a simple beauty in organization.
Regrettably, I am anything but organized. I seriously have the symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder (my students frequently are on the look-out for my brain and all other items I have misplaced). At first I thought my inability to keep up with my "things" stemmed from an overwhelmed brain and life. I tried to deal with it by writing myself notes. I lost the notes. I sent myself text messages. I lost my phone. I tried using little tricks like repeating something over and over or sticking out a pinkie finger to associate it with what I needed to do. I would get interrupted going from here to there and forget why the pinkie was hanging out solo. Or the phone would ring, and I would forget whatever mantra I was repeating. You laugh, but I speak the truth!
Finally, a diagnosis and medication! I am getting better at keeping up with those stacks of papers I juggle every day. My sticky notes now stick to my calendar. My phone resides in the bowels of the cavernous bag I carry daily, but I do know where it is; I just might not be able to get to it before voicemail picks up. I've quit repeating things over and over, so that is good. I've quit repeating things over and over, so that is good. Now I can actually finish the task at hand instead of running off to finish something I started days earlier and just remembered.
I am finally able to let others do things for me because I know where I put all the pieces!
What a load off my shoulders! Now, I just have to figure out how to deal with this pinkie finger that keeps sticking out.
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