I’m very organized. But unfortunately, not in the traditional sense. Or in the visual sense.

I know where everything is, and I almost never lose anything. But unfortunately for the people who live with me, I maintain what I refer to as my “visual to-do list.” Which is another word for “piles of papers and other assorted stuff on the kitchen island.” Which isn’t a good thing.

And with the advent of shows like Hoarders, I really fear that it’s a slippery slope for that pile of papers to devolve into a rotting feline corpse (if you’ve ever seen any of these shows, you’ll know precisely what I mean.)

I’ve tried lots of things – baskets, folders, drawers.  My husband thinks that I can solve the problem by putting our lovely fruit bowl on the island, rather than the kitchen counter.  I guess his logic is that the beauty of the bowl and the fruit will dazzle me, so that I’ll say to myself “Wow, this fruit looks so pretty! I shouldn’t take away from its loveliness by piling papers anywhere near it! Allow me to take the time to find the perfect spot for this field trip permission slip!”

Except that unfortunately, I’m smarter than that.  Or messier.  Not sure which.

I’ve recently considered hiring a professional organizer.  Not the kind that’s going to help me put my shirts on nice, velvety color-coordinated hangers, or show me the proper way to store tupperware.  I’ve got that covered.

But I could use a little help figuring out where to keep those stinking permission sips.