Need a laugh?
Who doesn’t nowadays?
I’ve spent the last few months blogging about meal planning and organizing to reduce stress and to keep ourselves safe so I thought I’d shift direction a bit and keep things light. We’re still in the midst of a global crisis. Life is stressful. We could all use more than a few yuk-yuks on a daily basis.
Years ago, I wrote a blog post that included funny organizing cartoons I had seen circulating on social media. I still share that post regularly–knowing in my heart that by sharing it, I’ve made at least one person in the world smile.
In this post, I’ll be turning to my experience as a Professional Organizer for some laughs. I love helping people get organized. I do my best to keep our organizing sessions light and fun despite the sometimes sad and overwhelming reasons why clients have called me to their home.
The more often I work with a particular client, the easier it is to predict what will happen during our organizing session. But, there are times when I have no idea what we will unearth while sorting or what will happen to me while purging. In that vein, allow me to share with you three funny organizing stories that happened to me on the job…
Story #1: Closet Organizing is Not for Chickens!
After a personal loss, a client had called me in to help her organize her clothing, drawers, and closet. She had engaged in some ‘retail therapy’ and decided it was time to get her closet under control. It wasn’t a particularly large closet for the apartment she was living in but it was deep–and you never know what you’ll find ‘in the deep!’
We pulled out a ton of wire and tubular hangers and sent them to the trash along with dry cleaner wrappings and random items. The mood was a bit heavy at times but my client appeared happier as her closet became more empty.
Then, for the first time during our session, I heard her laugh. She came out of the closet and in her hand was a giant rubber chicken! She told me the story of how she came to own a rubber chicken (closets contain so many good stories!) and she gleefully gave it a bunch of squeezes to cause it’s eyeballs to pop out of it’s head. She was smiling! The chicken was not…
After some thought, she decided to purge the rubber chicken from her life and sent it hurling towards the garbage can. She must not have remembered that the rubber chicken had a voice box in it because when it hit the can, it squawked, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK!”
We looked at each other and burst out laughing! She ran to the can, grabbed the chicken and gave him another good throw and again upon contact it squealed, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK!”
Back into the closet we went with a lighter mood! Out came pants and blouses to try on and a pair of old sneakers to purge. At my client’s request, I tossed the sneakers in the can and an unexpected, “BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK BOK” rang out from the depths of the trash. The chicken lives! After that, my client became ‘the tosser’ and thanks to that rubber chicken, our closet-purging session was more fun than a barrel of monkeys…er, chickens…
Story #2: ‘Watch’ What You Throw Away!
I have worked with many clients overwhelmed with kid toys. For jobs like these, I bring my super-duper thick black contractor bags–not only because they hold a lot, but because little children won’t be able to see that their parents are purging their toys!
My client had three daughters and was looking to pare down some of their toys while they were in school. We sorted and started purging Beanie Babies, dress-up clothes, and lots of little things like Polly Pockets, Barbie accessories, and Happy Meal toys (thank you, McDonald’s for keeping Professional Organizers in business…). My client left the room for a moment to get a drink. I took a look at my watch to see how much time was left of our appointment and noticed that my watch was no longer on my wrist! It was a dainty, gold-toned watch–a gift from my parents. A watch I really should not have been wearing ‘on the job’ but it matched my outfit so nicely so how could I not wear it that day? The clasp had not been ‘clasping’ perfectly for a few weeks but like I said, it matched my outfit really well…
I scanned the area around me–no watch. I shook some large stuffed animals and sifted through the shag carpet beneath me–no watch.
And then, I realized where it could be. It was in the three-quarters filled contractor bag–with all the Beanie Babies, dress-up clothes, and little toys inside.
I start sifting through the bag. No watch. I thought to myself, “It must have sunk to the bottom of the bag.” You can only imagine what I muttered next under my breath…
When the client came back in the room, our conversation went something like this…
Client: “I can’t believe we filled an entire trash bag with toys!”
Me: “It is quite full! I’m going to close it up and start a new trash bag.”
Client: “I’m ready to fill another one!”
Me: “Great–I’ll grab one. By the way, something happened that has never happened in all the years I’ve been working as an organizer. My watch fell off while we were working and I think it is somewhere at the bottom the bag!”
Client: “Oh, no!”
Me: “Oh, YES!” Would you mind if I took the bag home with me? I would be more than happy to put the bag out with my own trash after I find my watch.”
Client: “Sure, I hope you find your watch!”
Me: “Me, too! I am so embarrassed–thanks for understanding!”
I got home and immediately emptied the bag of toys onto my floor. It was a ‘needle in a haystack’ moment but sure enough, there was my watch–the persnickety clasp caught on the hem of a Barbie evening gown. Now I wear a FitBit on the job–whether it matches my outfit or not…
P.S.: I can’t organize and purge kid toys any more without thinking about what happened to the toys in the intro of Toy Story 3. THIS is why I use black trash bags for garbage and white garbage bags for donations!
Story #3: Bubblicious Booty Surprise!
A client called me to help her organize her unfinished basement. When I work in a basement, the idea of wearing a ‘cute outfit’ like I did the day I lost my watch is just not practical. Yoga pants, sneakers, and layered tops depending upon the weather help keep me comfortable and able to move around easily.
The basement was large with many ‘basement-friendly’ items that required sorting and purging. After working in one spot together for an hour, we decided to split up and ‘divide-and-conquer.’ She chose to sort her bins of wrapping paper and I was asked to sort out the laundry area on the opposite side of the room.
Despite the size of the basement, the laundry area was small and crowded. I stepped carefully, noting the items on the floor and most of what was around me. I took a few steps back to avoid some hangers near my feet, then heard a hissing noise. I quickly turned around hoping I wasn’t going to find a pet snake! I checked–no snake. (It’s not easy to surprise a Professional Organizer–we’ve seen A LOT…)
Almost immediately, I felt a cool sensation on my backside that quickly turned cold and wet. And uncomfortable. I figured I must have made contact with an open container of something on the shelf behind me. A quick scan of the shelf revealed that somehow I had backed myself into a can of Scrubbing Bubbles that was lying down minus it’s cap. A quick scan of my backside showed a large clump of white foamy bubbles against the black (and non-waterproof) yoga pants I was wearing that morning. Ugh!
I spent the rest of the organizing session trying to avoid turning my back towards my client and then had to drive the half hour home with a wet (but no longer foamy) backside! To this day, I STILL have no idea how I backed my backside into an open can of Scrubbing Bubbles. It’s one of those events that you could try and recreate through the magic of physics, geometry, and a computer program but it still might not yield any answers. I can look back and laugh now, but I wasn’t laughing then!
Are you smiling? Did you laugh at my stories? Good! Then my work here is done. When organizing your home, watch out for chickens and snakes and keep it light and fun. Emphasis on the word FUN.
Do you have a funny organizing story? I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below!
Stacey is a Professional Organizer, Virtual Organizer, and Author in Bergen County, New Jersey specializing in home organizing, time, and paper management. She is the author of The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You From Overwhelmed to Organized.
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Thank you for these wonderful stories, Stacey. Life as an organizer is full of surprises and often laughter. I loved the rubber chicken story and how the sound became the client’s call to action. Whenever humor is appropriate and can be introduced into an organizing session, it’s great. Laughter is a great way to lighten the mood and help our clients relax. I say “appropriate,” because in certain situations it’s not possible.
I agree–in certain organizing situations, humor does not get factored into the equation. Luckily, I’ve had more clients I can laugh with than not. There have been times when I’ve helped a client organize their clothing closet and I’ve wondered, “Will anything come out of this closet to top the rubber chicken?” A few items have come close–but I’ll never tell!
I loved these stories! Not only did they make me laugh, they made me miss doing organizing work.
I think part of the fun of organizing work is that you really never know what will happen ‘on the job.’ So glad I could offer you a laugh on a Monday morning!
These are so fun, and they show the reality of what organizing can be – fun and funny! We’ve all had those moments. I lost an earring I loved once walking with a client from one city location to another. It popped out of my ear and I watched it sail into the air and directly into a sewer grate. I was so sad, but I know it was irredeemable, so I just kept walking. No I wear cheap earrings and my Timex sport watch and that is it!
Thanks for sharing your jewelry story, Seana! You were wise to switch to cheap earrings and a Timex. I recall their tag line being: ‘It takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’.’ That’s what we need while on the job!
Great stories! Professional Organizers have seen a lot over the years. I found several rat and mice corpses in the many piles I went through. And, that’s OK. I expected them when piles have been there for years. While the clients are mortified of the dead animals, I have to explain that it is nothing and will happen from time to time.
I was shocked when I saw my first mouse corpse while organizing in a basement. I’d much rather find a rubber mouse than a dead one!
This was so much fun to read and it was uplifting. What lurks behind closed walls and closet doors tell so many stories. I love the one about the watch at the bottom of the trash bag. That’s happened to me at home and more than once. What a relief to be able to dig it out.
Thank you for sharing!
I’m thrilled to hear you found my post uplifting, Ronnie! I agree that closets have so many stories to tell. I’m grateful that my clients have chosen me to be a part of those stories–they’re what make us who we are. It’s one of the many reasons why I love helping clients organize their closets.