Last Saturday I decided to tackle the dreaded linen closet. Clearing out and reorganizing this cupboard took several hours, and a lot of determination, but I kept going, being sure to take breaks when my brain started to freeze.

I threw away lots of medicine; the oldest expiration date was 2004 – that’s not too bad, right? I found a water-saving faucet valve (in there since the late-90’s I’m sure) that my husband actually installed – very green of us. I discovered that we have many, many lightbulbs and enough flea powder to wipe out all the cat fleas in the city. But – surprise! – there was lots of stuff we actually need.

What a pleasure it is to open the door and be able to see what’s in there!

Now if you’re gushing blood and need a band-aid (or you’re a 6-year-old with a tiny scratch and a dramatic flair), you can find a band-aid. If your itchy hay fever eyes are driving you nuts, you can find eyedrops. If your toothbrush looks like you’ve been using it to clean grout, you can find a new one. If the batteries die in the camera – again – you can replace them

Of course this stuff was in there all along, you just couldn’t see it through the jumble of junk. Who knows what treasures are lurking in other dark corners of the house? I’m looking forward to finding out – in another chapter of my quest for order, serenity, and peace of mind.