I’m not known as the most organized woman in the world (not even in my own family mind you)!  However, when it comes time to get down to the “brass tacks” (another very old expression); I can rise to the occasion and folks marvel  and say, “My how organized she is!”

Next Thursday a.m., I will arise early to make certain the last minute preparations are complete!  What’s the occasion? 

A trip across the pond!  For those who don’t know that expression, it means we’re flying across the Atlantic to the UK.  Now try to work the prep for such a trip into an already overloaded schedule and you’ve got overwhelm overload!!!

So yesterday, although totally exhausted after a horrendous Thursday straddling traffic on I-465 to get home & a “flying trip” (in my car) to be on time for the funeral of my friend’s brother yesterday a.m.; I went SHOPPING!  I had 2 gift cards for Jean Claude Penney’s that had been burning a hole in my wallet.  I knew exactly what I wanted & thought it would be a quick buy.

No such luck!  They didn’t have what I wanted; the sales were great, but not much for us “between regular and plus-size folk”!  So I changed my strategy for what to wear to “my Russell’s” concert; wandered around the store trying to find something to use the rest of my card funds; and finally paid and left.

Gee whiz, I thought.  Then I headed for Wal-Mart where I had a wee bit more success.  Since laundry facilities won’t be available at the B&B in Edinburgh, I decided to buy another pair of slacks in red and one in black to go with the color scheme I’ve decided to use to “wow” the Scots! (If the weather is hot-hot there, I’m screwed!).  Let me see - small packs of tissues & an aqua tee to go with the dashing “Russell” wear.

What should have been a simple shopping spree taking no longer than 1 hour turned into a “rest of the day” expedition!

The point of all this is to say that once at home - I took suitcase from closet; set it in a corner & actually began packing.  New ‘digs’ in first (rolled neatly); passport & “RUSSELL TICKETS” in the new rolling computer case, etc.  Then I headed to that dreaded “place” - the basement laundry where the dryer is full from last week’s sojourn to the “pit”; washer holds yesterday’s clean wash & basket holds more from this week!

How, I wonder, do we get it all done when we can be so caught up in “organized disorganization”?!  I’ve decided that it takes a really bright mind to be so disorganized, yet make total sense of it.  I’ve decided that a truly brilliant woman has an office that looks like a ‘Rumpke’ site (landfill folks).  And I know that only a genius female can prioritize well enough to leave at least one small pile of laundry in the upstairs bath ready to be carted to the “pit”.

But it takes a woman who can do most anything with one hand tied behind her back to decide less than a week prior to major departure to put opened luggage in the corner & drop what’s needed for the trip as she wanders by during the day. 

So for all of you who consider yourself to be a “disorganized organized woman”; take heart!  It only looks like we don’t have it together.

And we all know that appearances aren’t everything!

Have an awesome Saturday with no laundry in the bin and all essentials accounted for!

Linda, a fellow journeyer