Have you been paying attention to your life? Do you rush around always looking for something that you have lost? Do you acquire more of one thing because you can’t find the last one that you bought and so you have to buy another because you need the item? Welcome to the “I have lost control of my life club.” I have joined that club too.

As I have told you before I have been working at de-cluttering my house. I realized something this past week. You also have to take the time to slow down and de-clutter your life.

It all started with a pair of earrings. The Boo season is upon us and I absolutely love wacky seasonal earrings. I bought the cutest $5.00 earrings from Avon. Did I need more earrings? Of course not but they were cute. I brought them home and put them somewhere as I was clearing out my purse and packing it for the next day. I was in a hurry. Now my earrings have vanished like the ghosts that were on them. I hope in my haste that the place I put them was not the trash. Maybe I thought my trash barrel would look good decorated for Halloween. I hope not.

I have less stuff but I have not been paying attention to the stuff that I actually need to keep and it is in disarray, especially my office. So every night I decided to take 15 minutes to work on a shelf, a basket or a drawer in my home and organize it. I wish I could say that it made me feel good to try and be in charge of my life. However it made me see that by not paying attention to my actions it has cost me money. In these tough financial times that is not a good thing.

I wish I could tell you that I have found my earrings. They are still “somewhere.” I did find my digital camera card that I misplaced last year. It was in the bottom of a basket of books. I needed my camera for work, I didn’t need the card and so I took the card out. I remember placing it somewhere. After a year I feared it was gone forever. I have been in this basket of books to add and subtract books. I never checked the bottom of the basket. Why would I put a camera card in the bottom of a basket?

It is the same reason that I found expired free coupons for Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret and other rebates that would have saved me money. It is the same reason I found my wacky flashing ring that I dazzle my grandchildren with. It is the same reason I found addresses I had been looking for that I stuffed away to record later. That reason is haste.

I need to be clear, I am not de-cluttering and getting rid of stuff in my office, I am de-cluttering me. I am finding a place for everything and everything will be in its place. That is stretch for a dizzy blonde. I shocked the other person that resides in this house. One day he was looking for a safety pin. I smugly said, “Did you look in the drawer in my office that says safety pins?” It felt so good to actually know where there was a safety pin and be able to direct the astonished person to the drawer. You noticed the word I used to describe my attitude? Smug. I like to use that occasionally with the organized person in my life.

I never understood why my mom kept all the cards people gave her. After finding cards people have given me that I have kept I finally understand. I actually was going to toss those cards until I took the time to read what special people in my life had written. Some of those special people have died. Those cards are now reminders of the special times and special people I had in my life. All those cards will soon be organized into a folder.

I have very old wallpaper on the walls in my office. I have very new pictures that my grandchildren draw for me. I have decided to wallpaper my walls with those pictures. They will be organized and out of drawers and I will be able to enjoy their beauty. Isn’t grandchildren’s artwork always the most beautiful?

I need to organize my computer and financial life too. My computer files are a mess. I hate to admit that when that is my career but again it is haste. I need to pay attention to where I spend my money. The motto is no haste, no waste.

Have I forgotten your name? I know who you are. I just can’t remember your name. It is probably because I have met you in passing as I was in a hurry and I didn’t pay enough attention to your name. I recognize your face. I did take the time to look at your face I just didn’t take the time to listen to your name. Hopefully next time your name will have a place in my brain because I paid attention.

Times are tough. We are tough. But we will only be tough if we slow down, de-clutter our lives and pay attention to our lives. I find I spend a lot of my time looking for things and fixing problems that I created with my haste. Remember these old words of wisdom. They are still true today.

“Haste makes waste.”

“Avoid being impatient. Remember time brings roses.”

“Order marches with weighty and measured strides. Disorder is always in a hurry.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

Wells resident Julie Seedorf’s column appears every Monday. Send e-mail to her at thecolumn@bevcomm.net.