The Little Bits Add Up

I deleted over 300 emails this past week-end. Every time I go through that process I promise myself that I will not let incoming and outgoing messages add up like again. Then I keep one message for an address, one for a phone number, another for its humorous insight, and one I wrote when I had a particularly lucid moment....The little bits add up.

Today I found dozens of receipts to shred. I just cleaned out that drawer, once the Christmas charges were billed and paid for....Wait, Christmas was six months ago. Yet it doesn't seem like I shop that often. Again, the little bits add up.

Suddenly, the clothes hampers are overflowing. How does that happen? I take a few days off from the role of laundress, and then there are six loads of wash that need my attention. Fortunately, I consider laundry one of my areas of expertise, so I am prepared to deal with the diverse demands of socks, jeans, delicates, and T-shirts. It started innocently enough with a pair here, a pair there, and a pair worn for three days in a row....The little bits add up.

Why is there no room in the refrigerator? There are two hot dogs swimming in beans, one hamburger waiting for a reheat, half a watermelon begging to be sliced, fresh vegetables in individual Tupperware, three pepperocini left in one jar, broccoli salad from last night, salsa in need of chips, and three open bottles of wine to satisfy different tastes. Time for "restaurant night" because the little bits add up.

Where did that pile of books come from? Three I'm rereading for the facts I forgot, one I'm starting for the third time because the wisdom is keeping me afloat, one is on loan from a friend, and one is fiction to give that part of my brain something to think about. This pile replaces the last pile that I finally put away. I just need to remember that the little bits add up.