The Little World

I hesitated to write that title in case someone was going to object on religious or scientific grounds – or was a fan of Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.

I also debated where to place it in my blogoverse – humour, photography, or scale modelling. In the end I decided upon here – I can re write it if things slow elsewhere.

I have been reading about simplifying things. The Marie Kondoing business. Also about minimalism. Everyone wants me to throw things out. I decided to experiment by cleaning the top drawer of the editorial desk on Christmas Eve. Everyone else in town would be out desperately shopping and I could sit here quietly sorting.

The rubbish bin got a feed that it’s not had in decades. I finally did realise that half of the drawer’s contents was dried up, broken, useless, and never likely to get better. But there were still a number of things that needed to be housed in an orderly fashion.

I could have gone out in the 38º heat to Storage World and bought desk organiser boxes made in Sweden – for $ 70 each. I could have. I could have hit my private parts with a hammer, too – but I didn’t. Instead I went to Stein’s Sure-fire Storage Solution Shelf in the workshop and pulled out the Universal Components. That’s one in the heading image.

We seem to eat a lot of Chinese and Thai food in this house. None of the chewing is done in the restaurants, but that’s okay – we always buy extra take-away and have it the next two days. No-one is sad. And for a long time I have carefully washed and dried the plastic containers that the food came in – for use as Universal Components. They’ve been turned into airplane painting stands, dust protectors, tool bins, and paint storage lockers. Now they are organising my desk – and freeing up the $ 70 that would have been buying Swedish trays for better use; model airplanes.

I’m not sure which feels better: the sense of organisation or the thrill of frugality. We need more satay chicken soon and I am already planning the next tidy-up.