Don't be like me | Bedtime gone wrong | Reader suggestions & more
Newsletter #25
Don't Be Like Me
I had good intentions. I really did.
But things sort of... ran off the rails.
Let me rewind. Last week I decided to organize my office. It was getting quite messy because I tend to let things pile up, like this:
Yeah. So that was the state of things when I decided to fully clean and organize the room.
My method is to first move everything to the floor. The stuff on shelves, in drawers, on my desk... all of it gets piled on the floor. As I'm going, I block the door and leave NO room to step anywhere. And I don't realize this until I look up and see that I'm stranded.
I dug a narrow path to the door and moved a pile so I could get out. Then I looked back at the room. And I thought about this cartoon, particularly panel four.
I was deep in the regret phase. I had lost all motivation to bring this "Office Organization" project to the finish line, plus I had a TON of actual work I had to do. Deadlines, clients, etc. Why had I even STARTED organizing? I don't know.
So I did what any reasonable person would do. I gently closed the door to my office and pretended none of it had happened. Ahhh... denial. I sat at the kitchen table and worked on my laptop.
Unfortunately, people kept needing stuff out of the office! Every time someone went in there they had to tip-toe around the mess. Then Kate made some crazy art project in there (how did she even find a place to sit down??), and she couldn't locate the trash can (it was buried under a pile), so she just left all these paper scraps everywhere, like a dusting of snow atop the mountains of debris.
Days passed and finally Jack broke down and asked, "WHEN are you going to finish cleaning out your office?"
"Today!" I said.
Later that afternoon, I dragged all the piles out of the office and into the hallway.
"The office is clean," I reported to Jack on the phone.
"Wow!" he said.
"But the hallway is a disaster," I added. "It looks like the office threw up all over the hallway."
There was a long pause on the other end. I'm guessing Jack was thinking, "Adrienne really keeps things interesting and this is just the latest example of her wonderful antics." He never actually said that, but it was implied by his silence.
The hallway took another three days to clean, and got worse before it got better. Now I'm finally at the point where things are organized. BUT I'm not out of the woods yet. I had a bunch of stuff I wanted to donate (plus we had some other donation bags in our garage). So I loaded all of those bags into the back of the car. That was days ago. Have I dropped them off at the donation center? No. I will be driving around with these bags in the car for many more days. It's just how I roll.
This is bad news for the kids because if I have the dog with me, he gets prime position up front in his doggie car seat. Then the back of the car is crammed with bags. So the kids and their friends have to wedge into that back seat and pile all their stuff (backpacks, sporting equipment, instruments, etc.) on their laps.
Oh, whatever. It builds character.
Not as much character as CLEANING OUT MY OFFICE. But close.
Kids Are So Ridiculous
Especially at bedtime!
This week The Huffington Post shared a round-up of cartoons about this very topic, and some of my cartoons made it in (along with other cartoonists I like). Here are two of mine that were featured, and you can see all of them here.
(Did this one in collaboration with my friend Simon Holland.)
So there's a sampling and, again, you can see all of them here.
Great Causes!
Two issues ago, I asked if you had any special charities or organizations you like to support. Either related to hurricane relief, or just in general. I was so happy to get your responses! I've organized your input below, so if you're looking for ways to support people and give back, here are some great ideas:
Helping people affected by natural disasters
In the wake of natural disasters, fake charities tend to spring up, so you want to make sure you're donating to legitimate organizations. In the U.S., there is a great website called Charity Navigator that evaluates and recommends charities. You can find lists for Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria, the earthquakes in Mexico, and more.
Charities Focused on Kids
Save the Children: Worldwide organization that gives children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. They "do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – to transform their lives and the future we share."
Life for a Child: An International Diabetes Federation program, with the vision: No child should die of diabetes. (With several Type 1 diabetics in my family, this one hits home for me!)
Blessings in a Backpack: Provides food on the weekends for elementary school children across the United States who currently are fed during the week on the federally funded Free and Reduced Meal Program and are at risk of going hungry on the weekends.
Charities Focused on Animals
Local Pet-Welfare Organizations: They often heavily rely on donors. For example, the Humane Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the Society for the Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals (SICSA) or a local shelter.
Best Friends Animal Society: Saves the lives of homeless pets spread across the country. (And they actively helped rescue animals during Hurricane Harvey.)
Other Great Causes
National Grange: A family organization that supports education, agriculture, community service projects, and more (examples: scholarships, donating dictionaries to school-aged children, helping food pantries, etc.)
Doctors Without Borders: An international medical humanitarian organization that treats people where the need is greatest.
International Rescue Committee: Responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people survive and rebuild their lives.
Thanks again for the great suggestions! (Got any more? Send them my way!)
Cartoons
As usual, we've covered a lot of territory in the past two weeks -- from risky offers to pets who don't want medicine. If you missed any cartoons, check out either my website, my Facebook page or my Instagram page.
The most popular cartoon in the past two weeks was this one, about how difficult it can be to try and act normal all day. I think this applies to adults as well!
This next cartoon also did well on Instagram. I created it in collaboration with my friend Jenn from Life as a Rambling Redhead, and it's about her son.
By the way, my kids STILL do this and they're quite a bit older! When I sit down to enjoy something good, one or both will materialize out of nowhere, asking, "Can I have a bite??"
Like What You See?
No company or organization pays me to create the Hedger Humor cartoons every week -- but I DO get support from readers! And I'm so grateful! If you want to learn how to support my work for as little as $1 per month, check out my Patreon page. I send out rewards and behind-the-scenes info to patrons!
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