Organizational Gratitude by Barbara Quinn

Since we’re in the midst of packing up for a cross-country trip, life is rather hectic. I’m figuring out what not to take along because I am trying to keep everything in one carryon bag so that I don’t have to worry about the bags making it to the destination. We have connecting flights both ways and I really don’t want to be missing my underwear when I arrive.

While I pack, I’m most thankful for my husband’s organizational ability when we travel. He writes up an itinerary, brings copies of all the reservations, goes to mapquest.com for directions which he prints out, and also keeps the most important info, such as phone numbers, on one master sheet of paper. That sheet of paper and that folder are a work of organizational art that is mind-boggling to someone like me who operates with lots of scraps of papers and numbers scrawled in the margins of my date book. I can find things, but a little panic does set in till I remember exactly where I may have stored something such as the confirmation number for the hotel room.

Travel is always stressful and Tom’s system does help minimize our anxiety. This way I am free to obsess over whether my mascara and lipstick are going to be viewed as part of a terror attack unless I stow them in the belly of the plane.

Being organized uses a different part of the brain. It’s good to flex that side too. And with that handy folder I can easily step into that world for a time without difficulty. How grateful I am to have someone to take care of me and these details.