Yesterday, there was a solar eclipse. It wasn’t a total eclipse where we live, but it was still pretty spectacular to watch. We were also fortunate enough to watch the eclipse back in 2017. And we were able to watch yesterday’s eclipse safely because I saved the eclipse glasses from 2017, and I knew exactly where I had stored them!
Seven years ago, I knew that there would be another eclipse in 2024, and I didn’t want to face the uncertainty of not being able to find eclipse glasses. So I tucked each one into a Ziploc snack bag and put all three in an empty sunglasses case. I labeled it “ECLIPSE GLASSES” and put it in the bottom drawer of my desk.
Assiduous readers of my posts may remember that I gave my desk away during the pandemic (see “Transforming My Home Office“). I got rid of a lot of the contents, and what I kept I distributed among various places in my apartment, including living room end table drawers, closet shelves, and a new printer cabinet. It would have been very easy to lose track of the eclipse glasses at that point. However, I stood them up in the back of a closet shelf and they remained visible. I’m also in the habit of frequently reexamining my storage spots so that I can continually get rid of things I no longer need. It also reminds me of what I still have.
Last night, I received a text from a long-time client, who wrote: “Thanks to you, I had eclipse glasses — sat down to look for where we put them — I’d say it took me 2 seconds flat, first place I looked!” I was so gratified to read that her work with me had such a positive outcome and allowed her and her family to enjoy this momentous event.
When I work with clients digging through their stuff, they often say “Oh, I was looking for that!” This is so common that I wrote a post with that very title. As I explain in that post, the most logical place for you to put something isn’t necessarily the same place where someone else would put it. Our minds work differently, and we have different associations of what goes with what. The important thing is to be mindful about where you put things.
One of my favorite sayings is “Don’t put it down, put it away.” (I did not make that up, but I wish I did!) But don’t just put something out of sight. Put it in a place that makes sense to you. Keep with with other things that are like it, or in the place you are most likely to use it, or in a place will you will see it frequently so you remember that you have it.
The next eclipse will be in 2044. Who knows if we’ll even still be around. But if we are, I know where my eclipse glasses will be!
My family enjoying the eclipse of 2024
