A Tisket A Tasket, Ella Fitzgerald
I walked into my closet late last night and wearily got ready for bed. As I removed my shoes, my eyes fell on the attractive basket that I use for scarves, which sits atop a shelf at eye level. The basket is one of my "aren't I so organized" containers that gathers up loose items and puts them in one spot. I feel like Martha Stewart with my aesthetic organizational prowess sometimes. I smiled and patted myself on the back. Ah yes. I've got this "sanctuary" thing down.
But, in the words of Rachel Lynde, "Pride goeth before the fall, Marilla."
I looked closer at my basket and found it teeming with anything BUT organization. Yes, there were scarves in there, but also some pajama pants, receipts, belts, underwear and a tank top. I will also admit dumping the contents of a jewelry box into it when I needed the box for a stage prop at one time....about a year ago. The necklaces have gone to the bottom and the earrings are all jumbled in there somewhere. So much for my sanctuary efforts.
Today's Small Thing is to empty a basket.
A basket in this case may be any type of container. A box, a carton, a bin, a bowl, a trailer. Baskets and bins are lovely solutions for clutter, but usually they are not made to be PERMANENT solutions. Or they might start out nice and neat with perfectly designated items...but eventually become catch-alls for whatever you don't know what to do with....much like my scarf basket - full of odds and ends.
I admit that my joy over seeing my attractive closet basket was dampened by the realization that I'd have to put that pile of miscellany away. But deep inside, I know I'll feel as light as a feather as soon as it's done today!
Empty a basket or bin today. Decide where the items inside should go and give them permanent homes. Then, join hands with someone and raise your voices in harmony as you sing, "A Tisket, A Tasket, a green and yellow basket....."
