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06/08/2005: "Sorry, I've been busy sorting coins..."

Yes, just when you thought it was safe to be a (*cough*reforming) perfectionist... The piggy banks of chaos!!!

Building on an Allen family tradition, we save birth year coins for the children and recently started saving them for ourselves as well. To keep this neat and tidy we have six piggy banks of varying colors, each with a removable label indicating the year(s) to be kept in that pig. Tonight I discovered that someone had switched around the State Quarter collection in 2001 and 2002, resulting in duplicated quarters and other states missing altogether. I retrieve the appropriate pigs, pull the stopper out of one, and search among the coins for the right states. I find several options, along with coins that are not of the birth year listed (not even other birth years, which would be an easy mistake to make). So I decide that what needed to be done right there and then is to go through each bank and sort through each coin to be sure it has the right, nay, the privilege of being in said bank. One hour and forty-five minutes later, all is right with the piggies. Each has only the birth year coins it should. My filthy hands were washed and any pigless coins added to our change jar. I feel strangely satisfied knowing that order prevails among my ceramic keepsakes.



Yes, this is coming from the one who has struggled to tame clutter all her life, though those who know me or frequent my dwellings know that life is much improved since Flylady. I think I'm an organized person struggling to free myself from the shackles of decades of habit, over-sentimentality, and yes, fear. Isn't that what's at the heart of any change we want (or need) to make?

I can chuckle at what I just did, in a head shaking sort of way, and yet I know that I will rest easier tonight with that done than having it lurk around the shadows of my mind. That and the water storage bottles I filled earlier... Yes, rest, I must. :::shakes head:::

Replies: 2 Comments

on Thursday, July 7th, MomR said

You collect the State quarters too? And you may have some extra ones. I collect them also and am missing some of them. Would you have any extra for Indiana, Illinios, Arkansas and Texas? If so would you please bring them with you when you come and I will trade you. Please let me via e-mail.

on Monday, July 11th, Moi said

I'll take a look at what we have and let you know.