Car Talk

So there I was, stopped at a stop light.  I was more than a little weary, but I was happy to be close to home after a daylong out-of-town book event. My eyes wandered over to the car next to me and couldn’t help but be drawn to the back seat of the car – or make that, the area of the car where I presume a backseat was.

For all I could see in the back half of the vehicle next to me was a giant mound of papers, books, garbage, and random objects of all sorts.  It covered the entire backseat area and reached up to the middle of the window level.

My immediate reaction was: “Well, at least my car isn’t that bad!”

Then, in the next instant, came a mental THWAP: “Um, Debbie, hate to intrude here, but this is your conscience speaking. If you’re using a hoarder’s mound as a yardstick by which to console yourself, it’s probably time to clean out your car!”

Well, when you put it like that...

So I did. The very next day. And in my defense, my mess was not as awful as it could have been. Still, there were a full two boxes of “stuff” I removed, mostly from my trunk. (I’ll leave it to you to decide if these were small boxes or large boxes. A gal’s got to keep some dignity.)

After hauling out the clutter, I vacuumed (even the trunk!) and then dusted the dashboard. A little Febreze, and, voila! My car is now (at least temporarily) a tidy and pleasant place.

But of course, there was still the sorting-through-of-the-boxes to do. Which I did.  Slowly.  (It may have taken a few days, or even a week, but again we'll leave that part of the story to your imagination.)

As I sorted, I noticed that the clutter seemed to be mostly of two sorts:

1. 2% clutter

Picture this scenario. I get in the car to go somewhere, and have with me the items I need for the journey. Upon my return home, I take those items back out of the car.

Except perhaps I’m in a hurry, or thinking about something else, or maybe I'm tired, or feeling lazy, and I really only take 98% out, leaving 2% behind.

The 2% can be quite small (maybe a paperclip from a bank deposit; a set of mapquest directions; a granola bar wrapper) but over time, it adds up.

Solution? Heck if I know, but I’m going to try harder to notice if I’m 98%ing, and I’m also going to add to my schedule a once-a-week decluttering of my car to catch the 2% bits before they add up to a Big Mess.


2. Well-Intentioned Over Preparation

We’re all familiar with “Be prepared.” And we’re all (well, most of us) prone to the “More must be better!” impulse.

So in terms of what “emergency” supplies one should have in the car, if it’s good to have a couple of bandaids in your glove compartment for playground mishaps, it’s better to have five sizes of bandaids, antibiotic ointment, guaze, icepack, and splints, right? If a snowshovel, a bit of salt, and a blanket are important for winter travel, then two shovels, a whole bag of salt, and four blankets are better, right? And if it’s good to have an umbrella under your seat, it’s better to have an umbrella, a complete portable rainsuit, and five plastic bags, right?

Er, not so right.

Having a trunk that looks like a Red Cross Station does not really leave you any better equipped for the unexpected. Minor unexpected events don’t demand many supplies, and major ones are going to require outside help anyway. It’s nothing more than an ineffective mindgame to look for reassurance in the form of overpreparation clutter.

Solution? Worry less.  Carry less.

And enjoy the ride.