The Little Things

This may look like just a stapler to you. But to me it's a little bit of happiness. I had an old stapler. It was a standard black Swingline, circa about 1989. Nothing special. You know the standard top load model. Lucky for me, my kids lost it. I am sure it's lost in the house some place, but it's been gone for three weeks now. In my book that is really lost.

On Sunday we took a family trip to Costco. You can imagine how excited the kids were to go....NOT! I have a rule about Costco. I make a list and then I stick to the list EXCEPT I am allowed one thing that is not on the list. The one thing can not be a TV or a computer, it has to reasonable. Then if there are two things that I want that are not on the list I have to decide which one to get. The dropped item can go on the list for the next time I go to Costco if I still really want it. Most of the time I reason myself out of the second item and it never gets on a list.

My item this time was.....wait for it....wait for it....a stapler. Yes, I know you know that since it's right there on top. I love my new stapler. It's easy to use, easy to load and, for now, it staples correctly every time. I used it quite a few times today. I am considering getting my stapler "chipped" you know, like they do dogs and cats. I will not be happy if it goes missing and can not be located. Maybe I could attach one of my old cell phones and then call it if it goes missing. Ahhh, finally a good use for my old cell phones. I did hide it in hopes that the small people will not know about it or where to look for it. But they'll find it...they always do.

I remember as a kid that my dad had a pad lock on his tool kit. My mom got so frickin' mad one day she paged my dad 10 times, called his office and had them over head page at the hospital to try and track him down. She needed a damn hammer and she needed it now! I, of course, could see her point. A pad lock on your tools? It seemed so silly, aren't those for everyone to use? NOW of course, I totally get it.

I am considering a small locked drawer for all the important things I need. In that drawer would be the following; a hammer, a multi functional screw driver, pliers, box cutter, tape, MY NEW STAPLER, scissors, nail clippers, a tape measure, Carmex, a good pen, a couple pencils, note paper, my Ipod, a glue gun and glue sticks, a hole punch (that's a new kid favorite), one candy bar for emergencies, and maybe a drill but that ones only if the drawer is big enough. Of course then I would have to wear the key on a necklace so ONLY I could access the secret stash. Oh the little things that can make you crazy with kids.

I say to my type "A" dad, "It took 30 years but dad, I GET IT." It must have been secretly gratifying to go to your tool box and KNOW that what you left there was still there. I'm not sure what MY solution will be. But for today the little thing that I am really happy with is my new (albeit hidden) stapler. Yes, it is the little things in life that make me happy.