If You Give a Woman a Dirty Dish

Last Thursday, due to inclement weather, I found myself with an unplanned day off from work and the ability to tackle a long list of projects I’d been saving for a rainy day (which, by the way, was exactly what this “snow day” was, rainy.  But don’t get me started on this subject!).  After two hours of working through my list, I paused to come up for air and was dismayed by what I saw.  In almost every room of my home, the casualties of my good intentions were laid out like bodies at a crime scene.  I wasn’t even close to finishing a single project and had somehow managed to add 20 more items to my “to do” list.  I felt a wave of fear as the doorbell rang.  Had my kids tipped off the producers of Hoarders and the film crew just arrived to shoot the pillage?  How did this happen?  How did I manage to get so off track?  Then I remembered a post I wrote on Facebook a few years ago which described a similar experience.  After a long and sentimental search through my Timeline, I found what I was looking for, and I had to laugh.  Staying focused is not my strong point!

“Do you ever feel like that mouse in the book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie?” I was loading the dishwasher when the dryer buzzed. I left to check on dryer knowing the clothes still had to be damp and would need more time to dry. I rearranged the clothes and cleaned out the lint catcher. While throwing away the lint, I remembered the trash had to go out, so I got a bag and walked upstairs to empty the garbage cans. While leaving the guest room, I remembered my weekend guest coming to visit, and so I stripped the bed and gathered the towels to be washed. After dropping those off in the laundry room, I remembered to restart the dryer. I then combined my trash bag with the kitchen trash, and as I was bagging that up, I looked over and saw the dishwasher still needed to be loaded. Is there an adult version of, “If You Give a Woman a Dirty Dish”? If not, I may need to write one!”

Can you relate?  Is this a sign of a busy mind or someone with ADD?  As I get older, I’ve gained the added benefit of walking into a room with purpose and then forgetting what I needed or what I was doing there in the first place.  I usually remember an hour or so later when I finally circle back to the original project I was working on, but then consequently, the cycle begins again.  It is a wonder, truly it is, that I have managed to go this long without opening the lid on my washing machine to do a load of laundry only to find a thawed out package of chicken breast sitting at the bottom of the bin.  This or much worse could happen!  It really could!  I am not kidding!

Taking the time to write this blog has been a much-needed reprieve, but alas, I need to get back to digging myself out of this mess I created.  Stay warm, my friends, and please, wish me luck!