My good friend and business partner, Maureen, recently came to work with a glow on her face. She was even more cheerful and positive than usual, and that is really saying something; those of you who know Maureen know she is one of the most positive people on this earth. I knew something special had happened. Maybe she had a great night with her husband (if you know what I mean), or better yet, maybe she had just won the lottery.
So when I sat down and asked her why the special smile, she leaned in close and told me: “I just had my closets done.” Then she giggled. Really.
Turns out Maureen paid not a lot of money for a professional closet company to come in and install shelves, bars, etc, into all the closets in her home. Her kids were so excited that they could not wait to neatly arrange their clothes inside. Her husband came home from work and, instead of kissing his wife and kids, raced up the stairs to arrange his closet. And Maureen spent one blissful evening in heaven, tossing out old clothing, like the suits with shoulder pads that she has not worn since that late 1980′s, and neatly arranging her clothing from this decade on her beautiful new closet shelves.
This story illustrates what I have often said. Getting organized is about more than just making it to all your appointments and play dates. It is about peace of mind and the deep happiness you feel when you have attained that state.
I actually got this glow for myself recently, after I completed updating my kids’ School Years organizers. All 4 books are completely up to date now with school pictures, report cards, cute notes the kids wrote me, etc. It took me about an hour one day over Christmas break; so about 15 minutes per child. As soon as those books were done, I felt such a state of peace, knowing that everything important from my kids’ school years are all in one place. Now, if there is a fire in our house, I know exactly what I will grab first (well, after I grab my kids of course).
What organizing projects give you that special glow?