Losing it--again

All right. Maybe I'm cracking up. Last night, we all got together for our pictures, and I ran back into the house before we left to grab the coupon for $10 off our portrait sitting and 33 percent off Christmas cards.

But, when it was time to pay, I could not find the coupon. I sent Tim back out to the car to look for it, but I thought I remembered holding it in my hand when I came in. I looked in my coat pocket. I searched my cavernous purse. I looked in the bathroom where I had made affirmative comments about Christina's makeup. Nothing. Tim came back with nothing, so I went back to scour the car too. Nothing.

Finally, I glanced back at the coat rack again. There, on the floor was the coupon. I was happy. And the pictures were fun. We were able to preview them on the computer screen and did some funky things (those of you on the Christmas list--you'll be in for an unusual treat!)

This morning I woke up and could not find my glasses. Now, I am as blind as a bat without them (although I can read now without them--a sign of aging that I am now far-sighted as well as near-sighted). I rummaged around on the floor, because I always put them on the table next to my bed, and figured they must have fallen on the floor. Well, there was a pile of stuff there, because when I was "cleaning" a lot of stuff ended up hidden on my side of the bed (away from the door). Nothing. I stumbled into the bathroom and put my contacts in. Make that "contact." I thought I had both lenses in (contacts, that is), when I realized my left lens was not in my eye. It was not in the container or in the bathroom.

Meltdown ensued. I am pretty unhappy when I lose a contact lens, but I always know I have my glasses as a backup. This time I was comin' up with nothin'. Then, the grace of God came. I felt my blue lens stuck on my blue sweatshirt. Praise the Lord.

All this had delayed Tim's lunch from being prepared, so he was rushing about trying to get out the door. "Have you seen my keys?" he asked. Now we made a mad dash around the house in search of the elusive keys. He looked at where they usually hang up, but did not see them. We checked coat pockets, pants pockets, dressers and desks. Finally he found them right where they should have been--hanging up, but on a different "hook" than usual. We will have to weed out our miscellaneous keys so that only the important ones are visible.

Tim got out the door at last. I went back into the bedroom and looked on the dresser. Lo and behold, there were my glasses. I called Tim immediately. "Oh," he said. "I put them there, but I thought they were your reading glasses. I found them at the foot of the bed." (which is where I had dumped the piles that were next to the bed while I was looking for my glasses. I must have moved them and not seen that.

When I had found the phone to call Tim (it was not hanging up where it should have been--but on the hutch) I noticed that we had a phone message. It was our friend John. Apparently his work IDs were missing, and he thinks he may have left them here. Perhaps in the laundry room, as something spilled on him on the plane ride here and he did some quick laundry. (BTW the laundry room is one area of the house I did not bother to clean before John came because WHY WOULD A 47 YEAR OLD MAN DO LAUNDRY IN A FRIEND'S HOUSE WHEN HE IS ONLY HERE FOR THREE DAYS?). Anyway, we still have not found John's IDs, but will continue to look.

Perhaps God is telling me to work on these "hot spots"--areas that end up as dumping grounds. It seems that when I lose things is when I get things organized (usually it's bills--and then the paper piles finally go down.)

I'm grateful the keys, the contact and the glasses were found. Now its the IDs. But maybe the pile next to the bed, the key hanging thingy and the laundry room will get cleaned in the process. One can only hope.

Till next time,


Suzi