The Power of Organization

Most people are familiar with New Year’s resolutions. As a general rule, I don’t make any. It’s not that there aren’t any improvements that need to be made, but around here, they tend to be life-long goals. I may achieve them in my lifetime, or maybe not.

Getting my house in order is one of those long-term goals. Anyone who has lived with a family member who has had depression (or has had it themselves) may have found themselves in the following situation. My husband is a disabled veteran. On top of his military injuries, it appears he also has MS. We’re still trying to get a definitive diagnosis on that. So as you can probably imagine, depression has reared its ugly head here. Sadly, it hasn’t affected just my husband. I have more than a passing acquaintance with it, too. When it feels like your energy and just about everything else is being sucked out of you, it’s easy to fall into the “I’ll Deal With That Later” trap. My house has lots of those. Little by little, we’re trying to deal with all the clutter.

So far, my favorite organization project is my plant shelf. My plants are definitely much happier there than when they were on a small table. They all have better access to the light, and I can reach everything easily. Air circulation is much better, helping keep diseases under control. The best part? Since I wanted a shelf that could cover that entire window, I had enough space to double the collection of plants I had without doubling floor space being used. There was also room to add a table top fountain for humidity (a necessity for many orchids), and some storage baskets. Right now, the baskets are at the bottom of the shelf. If the day comes when I can trust my dogs to leave the plants alone, I may add the fifth shelf to the top and move the storage there. Freeing up the bottom shelf would make room for additional house plants or for seed starting of veggie plants.

Taking care of my plants is a daily activity. Especially in winter when the air is much drier, most of the plants on my shelf benefit from the misting of a spray bottle. Many house plants are tropical or semi-tropical, making a daily misting beneficial for more than just orchids. It’s a pleasure to spend a little time with them each day and see who might be ready to bloom. Because they like the conditions, some of my Phalaenopsis are blooming up to 3 times a year. Two Dendrobiums and Cattelayas as well as one Oncidium have also blessed me with flowers since moving to their new home. I can’t think of a better reward for getting organized.

The Project Queen