The Junk Drawer Day
Admit it - you have days like these - FOUR-MINUTE FICTION
I dedicate this to Rebecca Holden who writes, “Dear Reader…I Am Lost” on Substack. She would never let this happen to her day!
At 8 o’clock this morning, Miriam Beale went in search of a rubber band. It should have taken her two minutes, but when she opened the kitchen junk drawer, she said to herself, “Man! This could use a good clean out.” She dumped everything out on the counter and found this: a ball of string, four unrecognized keys, eraser-less pencil stubs, bent twist-ties from bread wrappers, and about 14 advertising ballpoint pens (only one of which still worked.) There were a few rusty thumb tacks, a stripped Phillips screwdriver, three used AA batteries, note pads, those little plastic clips from small orchid plants, a 2022 unused pocket calendar, a bottle of aspirin, some jar lids, a handful of recipes, an abandoned Weight Watchers’ scale, expired coupons, and a mailer from the local carpet cleaner. Oh… and toast crumbs.
She was separating a pile of paperclips that had become mixed in with pins, when she dropped a pin somewhere on the floor – a straight pin with a yellow glass head. “Darn it – where is that thing?” She got down on her knees to search for the pin, and found it, eventually, stuck to her fuzzy slipper. “I’ll just put this pin in the sewing basket right now.”
She took down the sewing basket from the cabinet and noticed that the jar of buttons had come open and spilled in the bottom of the box. While putting all the buttons back in the jar, she found the large black button she had meant to sew back on her winter coat, so she went into the closet for the coat. On the hook she saw three shirts still waiting to be ironed. “I’ll just iron these shirts first,” she said, putting the button in her pocket. (You see where we are going with this?)
She got out the ironing board and noticed that one little black rubber tip had come off of the board’s foot. Hanging the shirts on a doorknob, she went to get the bottle of glue back in her desk. On the desk, her utilities bill was lying on top of the check book. “I’ll just write this out right now and get it done.” She sat down and wrote out the payment, and went to put the check out in the mailbox. Passing the trash bin, she remembered it was Tuesday and she needed to roll the bin out front for this afternoon’s collection. (Is this starting to sound familiar?)
Coming up the back steps, she saw that the two potted geraniums were all dried out. As she filled the watering can at the kitchen sink, she glanced out the window. That damned squirrel was out front digging up her planter box again to bury his peanuts! She ran out the door and shooed him away with the dish towel and a couple of angry shouts. While she was out there she sprinkled the rodent repellant around her plants again and dead-headed the irises.
Coming back into the house after 11:00, Miriam stood in the living room and for a minute could not, for the life of her, get her bearings. “Now… what was I doing?”. She found a large button and a bottle of glue in her sweater pocket, a watering can in the kitchen sink and the ironing board leaning upright near the refrigerator. “Let’s see...oh, right, I know – I was making coffee.”
Hahaha. Thanks for the morning laughter, Sharron.
And now, if you'll excuse me, you've inspired me to head for my junk drawer. Fun awaits!
We are taught to multi-task. ONe thing leads to the next and the next and the next ad infinitum. ONe cure is to get rid of the junk drawer all together. Put the first rubber band in the desk box designed for rubber bands. The twisty ties go in the little jar in the silverware drawer beside the stove where the bread is smeared with butter and jelly. Proximity is important. There should ALWAYS be a pin cushion in EVERY room. ...especially critical for people who sew or weave or make lace or fix stuff. The one in the kitchen beside the sink attached to the wall has the most pins. Go figure. My "junk" drawer in the kitchen has a whole collection of rolling pins carved for different cookies and noodles and breads. ... and a little jar for random nails and screws....and a wine cork puller...used so seldom I don't even know its proper name--ah well, I know where it is. ))))