Forget-me-nots

I am constantly forgetting where I left things. Several years ago, my husband, who excels at providing solutions to problems, purchased electronic sensors, called Tiles, and attached one to each of my crucial items: purse, keys, wallet, phone. Much akin to the person searching for their car in the parking lot, I would click my device summoning these sensors as I walked from each end of the house to the other, upstairs and down, outdoors and inside the car. Each time my husband heard the beeping, he shook his head in disbelief but secretly glad he had introduced a system to help me find things. As technology improved, I upgraded to sensors with longer detection ranges which made it possible to locate my keys by retracing the steps in my neighborhood until I found them buried in a grassy patch. This technology has saved a lot of time and stress when searching for lost items yet my husband continues to provide even more solutions to this problem such as an Apple Watch to summon my phone. His latest purchase for me was a special, light-weight vest with multiple pockets designed for electronics, wallets, ear buds and even a bottle of water. It is a fantastic solution for hikes and running errands since I don’t have to carry a heavy purse or backpack. Although his intention was for me to wear the vest full-time, this use was a bit excessive. After all, most of my jaunts require minimal items. A short dog walk requires nothing but some poop bags, and a cell phone; deep pockets and nothing more is needed. Yet, if the pockets are shallow, the vest is still a great option, or if the weather is too warm for the vest, I prefer to utilize a breathable and UV protective fishing shirt with zippered pockets.

Interestingly enough, “fanny packs” have made a major comeback, only it’s now considered fashionable to wear them as a crossbody instead of around the waist. I haven’t broken down to purchase one of these yet, but it’s probably only a matter of time.

My Tiles and Apple Watch are used on a daily basis. I’ve traced my phone to the washing machine, on top of the refrigerator, and zippered into a pocket at the bottom of a clothes hamper. Another issue I’ve had is forgetting important items once I’ve left the house.

When I was younger, I carried a purse that weighed nearly 5 lbs with everything I could possibly need for the day. Now that added weight is hard on my joints, it’s beneficial to keep extra baggage to a minimum. Living in the city now means I leave the apartment 4, or more, times a day for various purposes. Sometimes, I’m simply walking the dog around the corner. For those walks, I only need a poop bag and my phone. If I’m just picking up a muffin next door, I only need a $10 bill and my phone. My phone is a constant because my keys are now all virtual and accessed by app. If the walk is a shopping walk, I might need to add credit cards and ID, hat for the sun, sunglasses, chapstick, hand sanitizer, kleenexes, masks, a bag for carrying purchased items, etc. The method I’ve found that works best for me is to keep all of these important items in an over the door shoe holder such as this one.

All of my purse contents are easily accessible in a shoe organizer. These organizers also work great for small electronics, cords, chargers and batteries. When we were traveling a lot, we also used one of these organizers for travel sized items.

By keeping all my items in the entry closet, I’m no longer forgetting important things. Also kept in the closet is all my casual shoes, jackets, and hats. Just around the corner, is an organizer for all the various sizes of bags I might need to carry my necessary items. The purse I use most often is hanging there as well. Each time I leave the house, I decide what I will need for that trip and select the items I need. Once I return, I put every item back in it’s place. I no longer have to remember in which purse I left my chapstick or my sunglasses because my purse gets emptied every single time I use it.

Note: I personally use the Tiles, Apple Watch, Scott eVest, and Columbia fishing shirts but there are other brands with similar capabilities. I get no perks from recommending them.