The Desk

Do you remember that one of my goals was to keep my desk cleared off this year? Remember how piles of clutter disrupt my mental and emotional equilibrium and over-all sense of well-being? It's here, and here. My desk is, obviously, a trouble spot for me.

Ugh.

Here's what's on my desk this morning that doesn't belong here:

1. Lists #2 and #3 of items that I will need to compose 72-hour kits for my family. This means list #1 is missing.
2. 1 giant box of baby wipes
3. 1 Michael's coupon
4. 1 pink comb
5. a roll of double-sided tape
6. a box cutter
7. 3 recipes that I printed off the internet
8. my Primary binder
9. the water bill
10. 2 Walmart receipts
11. two 1-cent euro coins
12. one 3-cent euro coin
13. one 5-cent euro coin
14. 1 rubber band
15. 1 packet of fairy portraits
16. 1 gas card bill
17. 1 mortgage statement
18. 1 wedding announcement
19. 1 scrap of paper with an important phone number/address scribbled on it
20. 1 receipt from an internet order of sewing supplies
21. 1 empty 3-ring binder
22. another recipe
23. 8 pages that I photocopied of handwritten notes I took during training meetings
24. 1 blank sheet of cardstock
25. 1 printed out email
26. 1 family home storage center order form
27. 5 pages of receipt/rebate info for the new cell phones I ordered over the weekend
28. 18 empty page protectors
29. 1 Fire Safety merit badge workbook (Am I the only one who finds this ironic?)
30. 2 bank statements
31. 1 check re-order form (Uh, hello. I might want to take that over to the bank today. It might be important.)
32. 2 church bulletins from 2 different weeks (which may give you an idea how long my desk has been cluttered)
33. 1 velcro-strap thingy to hold electronics' cords together
34. 1 freebie mass-mail magazine that lists all  of some unknown person's best-picks for home service providers
35. another gas card bill
36. 1 plastic packet of some metal pins that hold bookcase shelves up
37. a bobby pin
38. a Student Diet Modification Form that I should probably fill out and return to my Little Friends's school
39. a Home Depot pre-approved credit card offer
40. Mr. Dub's YMCA key chain tag
41. some dust
42. something sticky that's been smeared.

Once just a couple of things begin piling up my desk it becomes a dumping ground for everything that anybody (but mostly me) can't spontaneously and immediately figure out what to do with, or that is "momentarily" placed here to be put away later in the place where it actually goes.

The sweet, peaceful after: