First, a note to you:
I am publishing Friday's post today because I am moving in a few short hours and may be out of commission for a bit.
Good Morning.
In my elder world the post-it is right up there with electricity in terms of convenience. I have reminders stuck on several household surfaces including the computer screen and the bathroom mirror. As I glance at the ones only a foot away from me, I see lists that would make no sense to anyone but me:
1. All City
Toothpaste
OK
PCs
2. My son-in-law's cell phone number
The first sticky tells me to pick up the dog's heartworm pills at the vet. That item is crossed out because I've already done it.
The second is about getting toothpaste, the sensitive type. That is also crossed out because I bought it. The third is to call OK Garbage Service and change the address for collection. The last is because I'm almost out of puppy cookies, otherwise known as dog biscuits.
The second note is my son-in-law's cell phone number because I lost my phone a few days ago and all the contact numbers with it. I think when I was sorting through more junk at the dining room table it sort of fell into a bag that went to the dump. I needed to reach him because he is my realtor so I called his wife - my daughter - to get the number and promptly posted it on my computer screen. In two hours I will be at the Verizon store to purchase a new phone. I have a land line that I think I'll cancel at the new place, but not having a cell phone is just plain unnerving when one leaves the house and might have car trouble or need medical assistance. Fifty years ago if you blew a tire or came down with appendicitis while motoring along the highway, you got out of your car and flagged someone down. Now I'm not sure anyone would stop if you stood in the middle of the road. Hence the need for a cell phone, not to do smart things that I have no interest in doing but to make my travels reassuring.
I make lists on envelopes, deposit tickets, and any other available scrap of paper. I put these lists in my purse only to find, when I clean out the accumulated mess a week later, that I haven't accomplished a thing. This is the magic of the post-it. It stares you in the face. It annoys you until you finally do the stuff you're supposed to do like clean the oven and make a dental
appointment. It saves your life or your household goods maybe. I keep one on the bathroom mirror to remind me to lock the doors and make sure the outside lights are on. This is because I would wake up at two a.m. and worry that I'd forgotten to
accomplish these tasks and have to stumble through the house to make sure I had. This involved disturbing the dog who then wanted to go out in the dead of night. Posting a note on the bathroom mirror seemed like a good idea because the last thing I do before climbing in bed is brush my teeth with the sensitive toothpaste. I now check the locks and the lights with a fresh mouth and all is well.
I conclude with three things that will never need a note to self:
Eat
Take a nap
Turn on the AC
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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