Yes now I’m thinking perhaps it’s get organized.
As I mentioned in my last post – Call Me Crazy – I don’t have a word or resolution for 2014 yet. Things are getting a bit dicey; it seems everyone else does. Now look at the date. January 10th and I’m still pondering. However, I think I’m getting closer.
Yes, I think … perhaps it’s get organised.
Read on and see if you don’t agree with me.
Back in November as I was exiting the parking lot of the Christmas Craft Fair, I reached into my coat pocket for the stiff ticket stub that would allow me to leave the crowded underground tomb without remortgaging the house. Hmmm. Not where it should be. Smiling to my pal “Ms Organised” who was efficiently colour coding her shopping receipts next to me, I pulled over, retrieved my behemouth sack purse from the back seat and placed it on the console between us.
“I’ve just misplaced the ticket. Won’t be a minute.”
A good ten minutes later I was still rifling through the contents. It was fortunate that I’d left just enough space for the 18 other cars to squeeze out behind us.
“Kelly, maybe you dropped it?”
Gritting my teeth, I yanked at the woolen scarf now threatening to squeeze off my airway and barked out a perhaps less than polite response.
“I don’t drop things. The damn thing is in here.”
- The best way to find something in my purse.
It had to be. I knew I shoved it in there. Ignoring her advice to “search in the zippered pocket” (It was jammed with two months worth of receipts already. There’s no way I’d have filed it in there. I could barely get the zipper open.) I pawed through an endless cache of empty wrappers, tired receipts and chewed pen caps. There was only one thing left to do. I whipped gently turned it over and dumped gently removed its contents onto my lap, the console and the floor; mildly aware of my passenger’s apoplectic gasp.
I finally found the blessed thing wedged between a wrinkled $5.00 bill and a limp 2011 movie stub.
As we sailed under the raised parking gate I jauntily cranked up the tunes. No need for any conversation at this point thank you.
Fast forward to a few days ago.
It was 8:10 AM and I was just wheeling into the long-term parking lot. With my flight leaving at 9:00, the new departure rules meant I had five minutes to check in. Realistically I needed twenty.
For the past half hour I’d been cursing my disorganisation. Of course it takes at least an hour to get to the airport and I’d allowed 45 minutes? In rush hour? Where was my brain?
It was the perfect storm. I don’t like to be late and I don’t like to be out of control. I was both.
By the time I leapt onto the long-term parking bus that would deliver me to the terminal I was not at my best; I knew I needed to get back in control. How did I do that? By pushing my way onto the bus, through the back doors before the departing folks got off. Not my finest moment.
I flew up the escalator, taking the stairs two at a time. After breathlessly punching in the PNR code at the automatic check in booth and receiving a curt “Please consult with airline staff. Your flight check in is now closed” I grabbed the nearest employee. Her eyes revealed the truth. My chances weren’t good.
“I don’t know if we can do anything as you’re so late. Let me check with special agent Stella.”
Good lord. I was now a “special agent” candidate. If I missed my flight it was all my own fault.
As the clock ticked towards 9:00 Stella worked her magic. Her actions were swift. Assessing my predicament in a flash, she reached for the phone and pleaded my case. Mercifully, she won.
“You’ll have to dash for the gate. They’re boarding now.”
Of course it was the furthest possible gate; I boarded with just minutes to spare. As I gratefully sank into my seat I remembered yet another wonderful oversight. I’d not brought along any reading material for my six hour journey.
Whose fault was this? Mine. I wasn’t organised. Had I been, there’d be a lovely, inexpensive Costco number jammed into my carry on.
Fortunately the flight included one stop. I headed directly for the closest bookstore and blindly grabbed two thick paperbacks. For the price of a take out meal for a family of four. Beauty.
I wasn’t done yet in the lack of organisation department though. Not by a long shot.
During my relaxing hot bath that night I remembered the Kobo stashed in my suitcase pocket since a previous trip. All it needed was a quick charge. Cursing that hefty paperback purchase of the morning I quickly searched for the power cord. Naturally, I’d left it at home.
Of course the last act of this disorganised day was to charge my cell phone. How delightful. I’d brought that cord but not the plug. Just typikel.
Yes. My 2014 resolution is getting ever closer. Perhaps it’s get organised.
But enough about me. I’m curious about you. Are you organised with your 2014 word or resolution? Or are you like me and basically still flying by the seat of your pants? If you’d care to share, I’d love to hear.
13 Responses
I know this is serious Kelly but you have me in stitches. I lean way more toward the organised side of life, actually the OCD side at times. Like your scarf my organisational tendencies strangle me at times and yet I relate to the parking lot tickets. For some reason they are my nemesis, I do not know where to put them and then cannot remember where I did. As an organisation-aholic this “failure” sends me into a tail spin. Perhaps it is get organised??? Time will tell.
I understand completely Karen your tail spin upon organisational failure. It’s funny but sometimes I am so organised and other times – well most times – not so organised. When I expect to be little miss organised and I’m not that’s when I get really frustrated. I have many OCD organisers in my family – ooops – ahem life and I do wish I was a weesny bit more like all of you ….
I believe ‘organized’ WOULD be a good word for you, Kelly. Or ‘personal-assistant’ (with a hyphen so it qualifies as one word). Or OMG which could cover any number of situations. In fact, I rather like OMG or it’s 4 letter equivalent which I don’t know you well enough to say on your blog.
Any one of those would work. 🙂
Hahahah! Yes – I am understanding what you mean by the four letter version of OMG. It fits.
Ooohhh – now a personal- assistant would be a welcome treat.Thanks for the suggestion!
My recurring nightmare features a scenario pretty much like the day you described. I’m getting ready to take a trip and realize that I’ve left too little time to pack and get to the airport on time. It’s a terrible feeling to experience in my sleep – I know it must have been a stressful and unpleasant day! Organization is a necessary evil, I guess.
Really? I don’t have that nightmare – mine is always along the lines of not studying for an exam. Not to worry my last exam was quite a while ago. However – that feeling when you wake up and realise it’s just a dream is a lovely feeling no?
I am organized, and it frustrates me to no end when I cannot find something. A day like yours would have sent me into a meltdown before I even left the house. Yet despite my organized nature, I do not participate in the one word resolution deal – I prefer to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to resolutions!
Oh, that was so wonderful and familiar and reassuring and are you sure these are the contents of YOUR purse, not mine? I’m never late, because that terrifies me, but when I was flying to the BlogHer conference in July I’ve realized, as I was checking in, that I’ve neglected to write down the address of the hotel I was supposed to be staying in. All I knew was the name and the fact that it was downtown, which was not enough for the airport check in system. I have done this before when flying to the States to stay with my dad. The immigration officer was not impressed.
Yikes! That must have been a special moment for you! Those immigration officers can be “interesting” at the best of times. If you were writing it on the form there would have been a huge blank for the address, eh? That is hard to cover. “Ummm… I’m not sure however I do know it’s downtown ….” Good on you to know the name of the hotel though. That must have made immigration easier.
My laugh attack journal is open. Oh Kelly, it’s hopeless. I say skip “get organized” and go for more trips or movies. That’s a bit selfish (lol to myself), I’m eager for more stories.
Me? Oh no no no no. I’m not like you in this travel arena. (Yes to the ticket thingie, what is it about parking tickets and where to put them???) My husband is a wee bit like you in the take it to the last minute travel scheduling, though. In fact, when we first married, we drove separate cars to the airport for trips!!!!!!
Susan – thank you. I’m with you. I think I shall skip the “get organized” in favour of trips and movies. The thing is I’m more like you than your husband in normal life. It’s only lately that I’m become scattered. No matter I think it’s best if I just roll with things as they unfurl.
Did you seriously take two cars to the airport? What made you stop?
Kelly, I thought so. I can tell that you are well organized, that’s why I thought that was so not going to end up your word!
My husband is also well organized; and uses his time brilliantly. I think he would say that the airport thing was about not wanting to hang out at the airport; now he is comfortable waiting– sitting with a coffee, checking email, watching people walk by, reading a book. PLUS–our ur airport issue was more about a power struggle: I wanted it my way, he wanted it his. In agreeing to disagree, I told him I wasn’t willing to feel stressed for something so easy to change, AND I backed off wanting to have things my way in other arenas. Oh, and I admitted my controlling tendencies (oh boy). I definitely had a part. PS. This helped a little: Soon after we agreed to taking separate cars, on work travel (I wasn’t with him), he missed his flight (and it wasn’t the first time).
Ah! Thank you for explaining it so well. I understand. Love how you both adapted. Quite brilliant really.