“A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

You have likely heard this famous quote that has been associated with Samuel Smiles, Isabella Beeton and Benjamin Franklin, among others.

You may live by it, or you may despise it. I am learning there are very few people who don’t fit in one of those extreme camps or the other, but how each person defines his or her organizational skills is fascinating, at least to me.

Ask people if they are organized or not, and most will say yes — while their family members or co-workers roll their eyes.

David Belin was the senior partner in the Belin Law Firm in Des Moines and had many accolades, most notably being an attorney for the Warren Commission and the Rockefeller Commission. He was also a partner in our publishing company a few decades ago. I met him in his office in the late 1990s, and I was immediately distracted by the multiple knee-high stacks of papers he had on the floor around his desk. He looked at me and said, “I have something for you,” and he pulled a piece of paper out of the middle of one of those stacks like a magician pulling a tablecloth out from under settings of dinnerware. I was amazed.

My brain doesn’t work that way. I am more Benjamin Franklin than David Belin.

Jolene and I are in the process of moving to another home and are living out of boxes and between two places. Locating socks, silverware and screwdrivers has been a bit of a struggle, and it has me out of sorts. It will all come together soon enough, but the transition is troubling, at least for me. Jolene handles it all much better, as she does with most things. The obsessive-compulsive traits I inherited from my mother tend to rear their ugly head in times like this.

My temporary solution was to spend a few hours in my new garage, putting tools away, letting my brain unwind and giving Jolene a break from me. It worked, for a while.

Moving is never easy, and, yes, there is a mental price to pay in wanting to be organized. Even so, I am convinced there is still a place for everything, and everything in its place.

How about you? What are your personal tricks for staying organized? Send me a note and let me know.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.

Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com

View Shane Goodman's archived columns from past issues here.

CITYVIEW announced its 2023 Best Of Des Moines® readers' choices Jan. 31. You can find all the results from the poll in the February issue of CITYVIEW magazine!

Best local museum

1. Des Moines Art Center

2. Science Center of Iowa

3. State Historical Museum of Iowa

SEE BEST OF DES MOINES® EVENT PHOTOS HERE...

The power of the pipe organ
Koskamp to mark 40 years as church organist

By Becky Kolosik

Imagine making music with your entire body, hands and feet. Mark Koskamp, the organist at Trinity United Presbyterian Church says that, once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty amazing.
Koskamp began taking piano lessons in first grade and started playing organ for his church in sixth grade. At the time, the church organist gave lessons to promising young piano students and, by middle school, several were taking turns playing on Sundays.

The biggest difference between the piano and organ is playing melodic lines with both feet on the pedalboard while also playing with both hands on the keyboards.

“Most organists begin as piano students until they gain some proficiency,” explains Koskamp. “Then they add their feet into the mix without having to worry so much about what their hands are doing. However, it still takes a lot of practice and coordination to get comfortable playing with your hands and feet at the same time.”

Read the rest of the story in the latest issue of Indianola Living magazine.

These celebrities were born on this date: Avril Lavigne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anna Camp, Lil Wayne, Marc Maron, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, A Martinez, Kate Mara, Jenna Fischer

SUBMIT: Send your birthday greetings and congratulatory notes to: tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

The answer to yesterday's riddle:
How can you catch a drummer? USE A SNARE! - John Zeitler, Anne Schnurr, Gail Tomlinson, S. Hill Watkins. Or, Follow his beat! - Kris Laurson. Or Offer him/her the drumsticks at Thanksgiving dinner...then snare them! - Deb Taylor. Or,  With "stop" sticks! - Carolyn Rogers

Today's riddle

What does an orchestra need to play electrifying music?

Have a guess? Email tammy@iowalivingmagazines.com

To advertise in this daily newsletter, contact Jolene Goodman at jolene@iowalivingmagazines.com, or call 515-953-4822 ext. 319.

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