Gather Arts Organizing

Hey Friends. It’s Tuesday. The day when we set a timer for twenty minutes and organize our little hearts out.

Today we’re working on the medicine cabinet. Why?

• Because medicines that are beyond their expiration date can not only lose their effectiveness but can become dangerous as well. (This is a contested issue so make your own decision about whether you want to keep medicines beyond their expiration dates. Please talk to your pharmacist if you’re not sure.)
• And because you need to know what you have before you need it.

A short story to illustrate the point.

Shortly after our Sarah was born we took a family walk around the block. Just one block. One of our boys rode his bike with us. On the exact opposite side of the block he wiped out. Hard.

He was wearing his helmet but the bike flipped over him and he had a small puncture wound on his forehead. Have you ever seen a head wound bleed? Yeah. Lots of blood.

But – a friend who lived near the fall came out of her house with a box full of absolutely everything we needed to get the bleeding stopped. One box. Already in the closet. She didn’t have to look for anything. Or wonder where it had been used last. It was on the shelf in the closet ready for an emergency.

(By the way, we did take Jason to the emergency room because he was speaking jibberish for a few minutes there but by the time he was seen in the ER he was all fine.)

Why twenty minutes on the timer? Because it’s long enough to get something done. Or at least get a good start on a project you might have been avoiding. You can do just about anything for twenty minutes, right?

Grab a notebook and pen so that you can add needed items to the list for your next trip to the store. Now set your timer for twenty minutes and here we go.

• If you have an actual First Aid Kit make sure it’s full of all listed supplies.
• If you don’t have a First Aid Kit and want one then add it to the list. (This is the easiest way to make sure that you have some emergency supplies).
• Set aside medicines past their expiration dates if you’ve decided to do so.
• Set aside any prescription medicines no longer being used.

Add to your shopping list any items that are used regularly but running low.

You’ll have to contact your pharmacy to find out how to properly dispose of medicines that are no longer useful to you. Flushing down the toilet and throwing them in the trash are both sure ways to add to contamination in the water supply and ground. Just a little extra effort on your part can keep this chemical contamination out of the earth.

What have you been organizing lately? Any big projects? Now that it’s really spring time have you started on your spring cleaning? Let me know what you’re up to! I love to hear it!