100 Things I Want to Tell My Children and Grandchildren: #15

Put important things in the right and same place every time so you won’t lose and/or damage them.

I’m not sure why it takes some of us so long to learn.  Maybe because we have to make the same mistakes over and over again before we realize we have a problem, or maybe the pain of the recurring mistake finally gets our attention. Perhaps it is because we refuse to listen to the counsel of others, thinking their advice is insulting, trivial or wrong.

Number 15 of the 100 things I want to tell my children and grandchildren seems so simple it feels a little silly including it.  But on the other hand, if you will listen and learn, it could save you money and frustration. I know, because I didn’t, and I suffered plenty of both.

Here is my most tangible example of #15, sunglasses and prescription glasses.  I wish I had a dollar for every $100 I’ve spent on sunglasses and prescription glasses because I’ve misplaced them and/or neglected to put them somewhere they wouldn’t get scratched or broken. 

Another example. Car/house keys. Before I finally learned this lesson, I lost or damaged glasses, and frequently misplaced my car keys, leading to expense and stress.

Now, no matter what, when I take my glasses off, rather than just dropping them in my purse or laying them down somewhere, I put them in a glass case in my purse, which I always place in the same chair – every time. And when I am done with my car/house keys, I always put them right back in my purse, which again, is always kept in the same place.

These simple behaviors keep me from losing my glasses or keys, and it keeps my glasses from getting scratched or broken.

I know, this sounds silly and simple, but the next time you lose your glasses, keys or billfold, or scratch your eyeglasses from carelessly laying them down unprotected, you’ll remember my #15.