R E F L E C T I O N S

Just last night I was looking for some notes, news clippings, leaflets anything having to do with retirement. As I do with my other papers, whenever I find anything of interest I skim it and file it away believing that someday I'll use it. I knew I'd put the retirement papers somewhere but I just could not remember where. I checked my files. In the folder labeled with a dollar sign "$" there was everything of a financial nature except for retirement. There was no folder labeled "Retirement". Then I remembered a large loose leaf binder I bought a few years ago at Staples: On the cover: "Better Binder, Flexible Spine, Lasting performance, Ultra flexible design, Our most durable binder."  I was so impressed I bought it with much enthusiasm. I knew I'd find something to put in it once I got home. Back at home after playing with the binder for 5 or 10 minutes I filed it on a shelf somewhere happy that if ever I should need one I'd have t...

In my last post I wrote about how difficult it was for me to find some important information about retirement that I filed somewhere but forgot where. In frustration I imagined giving a class called: "How to Organize Your Life" "Now class pay attention to the 5 cardinal rules to organize anything in your life: First : Never put anything back in the same place where you found it. Second : If something is empty (like folders, papers, empty tissue boxes...) put it back where you found it without making a note or telling anyone. Third : Never put a label on anything you own. Fourth : Every so often go back over your possessions and shuffle them around a bit. Fifth : When possible use the four rules above to "organize" your wife's or friend's things.

The other day I sat at my desk overflowing with scraps of paper, bills, notes... My mood was at a deep low. How was I going to get my life together? It was all just too much to handle! If I could only find a book to guide me I'd be on my way. Then I remembered buying a book or two about getting organized but I had no idea where I'd put them. I was sure that if only I sat down and forced myself to study the books; written by supposed experts, my problems would be solved. I decided to search my house to find the books if they were still there. If I'd not put them in the trash years ago. I spent about 2 hours locating the books. After finding the first two books I had a feeling there might be more so I continued my search. After another hour I found 3 more books. A total of 5 books! Now 2 of the books looked familiar even though I had no idea what was in them. I was certain the other 3 books were not mine. I wondered if my wife bought them, sort of like a subtle hint t...

"An organized desk must be a sign of an organized mind." ~ John M Sometimes I fear that I'm developing an obsession with being organized. I wonder if I'm spending more time getting organized than taking action. Maybe I just enjoy the time spent setting up a calendar, writing a budget, or preparing to clean out a closet. Maybe as long as there is something to "put in order" I'll be happy. I imagine myself to be some sort of superhero. My goal is to fight the forces of disorder and to remedy whatever is lacking methodical arrangement or function. To remove the complexities, disorganization, and undue busyness of the world. It's getting to the point where I must leave some place in my life, maybe even many places to keep disorganized. Why? It's like having money in the bank. I'll always have something to rely on when things just become too organized. I need to fight disorder to help give my life some meaning. Whenever I try to u...

While I was looking for the history of pedometers on the web I came across this illustration of a device used by the Romans. Here is a closeup: A description on how it worked: A gear with one tooth (A) fastened to the wheel of the cart turned a larger wheel (B) with 399 short teeth and one long tooth (C). The tooth turned the drum (D) with teeth and holes for pebbles. As the drum was turned, a rounded pebble would fall into the metal bowl (E), indicating that the cart had traveled one Roman mile. I lost the link to this site but here's a link with more information: http://encyclopedia.tfd.com/pedometer

I wanted to find a way to make notes in a book without marking it up. A book that has yellow highlighter marks, underlining, scribbling, and folded corners not only looks bad; it makes the book almost useless to the next owner. It’s even worse if the book is not yours. Library books, books barrowed from friends, are books that should be kept clean. My system is a sort of code for the location of passages in the book with room for any notes I want to make. I'll start with the simplest case. 1. Use an index card as a bookmark. 2. Write the pages you want to come back to separated by a dash. 3. To the right make notes if needed. Example: 12 - 15 means pages twelve through fifteen. Here’s how it works if you need more detail than only the page numbers: 1. In the left side of the card write the following sequence of numbers: Page number followed by a period. 2. Then the paragraph number (1st paragraph = 1, 2nd = 2, etc.) followed again by a period. Note: a paragra...

The other day I was thinking about what is real. I explored some ideas I've come across in my search for reality. I'm not sure if these ideas are from something I've read or seen in a movie or where. 1. There are the physical limits of our perceptions: optical illusions, night vision... 2. Then there are the philosophical disagreements on the actual nature of reality: physical matter only or spiritual only or some combination. I have a feeling that there is something missing in what we experience. A thought came to me. The possibility of the existence of events and even beings in the brink between what is assumed to be real and what is assumed to be fictitious is not easy to ignore. I thought about one of my favorite authors Poe who wrote about the strange. Then by chance or maybe it wasn't chance. Maybe something in the nature of things led me to find while I was at the post office a stamp of Edgar Allen Poe. I bought two stamps. Later I remembered a q...