Senior moments: being organized

As the pace in this 21st century world moves faster and faster, it becomes all the more important to be organized. Growing older magnifies that need.

Whether memory is dimming and we find ourselves forgetting where we left things, or mobility is limited and we can’t get to the things we remember and need, being organized offers a certain salvation.

Facing both situations, short term memory loss and mobility challenges, I have been very thankful that long term memory hangs on in surprising detail … I am 4 or 5 years old. I am up earlier than the rest of my family. I wander out into the living room and turn on the big box of a TV and turn the sound down low. First up is jumping jacks with Jack LaLanne, the health guru of the 1950s. With my body alert and tuned I then listen to an early morning daily devotional program and I get in my Bible lesson of the day plus a few prayers. And then the show I am really waiting for comes on. The Captain and Mr. Green Jeans pop up on my screen and I settle back for some fun lessons and entertainment.

“Captain Kangaroo” was a staple in the lives of children for 36 years, on regular TV for 30 and public television for six. Millions of kids tuned in. We laughed, cheered and loved through many characters and situations. Today, I can remember distinctly when the Captain showed us how to organize. First everyone needed a shoe box. Then construction paper, whatever color we loved. Once the paper was glued on to cover the box, the Captain gathered, and we gathered, our crayons, scissors, tape, glue and any other thing we might need in daily situations and creative endeavors. All in one place. It was genius! And we got to decorate the box with our crayons!

When I became frustrated recently in needing one item from a kitchen drawer and another from the buffet and a third from the bathroom cupboard, I had a flashback from this early “Captain Kangaroo” episode. “Get organized,” I told myself. I’m sure there was an earlier reason to place these items where I did. It must have worked back then because I would just run around and collect them together and proceed. But not anymore. Now, my biggest problem was finding a shoe box.

I have ordered new shoes online for a while and they tend to come wrapped in plastic bags not shoe boxes. So I made a modern choice and got myself one of those smaller plastic bins with the side closures and a handle.

I walked around my house and I gathered all the handy items one might like organized and on hand. Pencils, pens, paper, scissors, tape, glue, a universal screwdriver with many sized points, nail clippers and emery board, hand lotion and replenishing nail polish, eye drops, even a tiny sewing kit. And of course, I didn’t forget a new box of aromatic memory infusing crayons.

I was disappointed I couldn’t color my box but I did enjoy placing fun stickers on the top and all the sides. My Captain Kangaroo box sits at the side of my recliner within easy reach. Bless those early memories that have stayed with me. And bless Captain Kangaroo, the best friend a kid (and a senior) could have!