Everyone has one. That one location in your house that collects all the crap that you don’t know where it goes, but you need somewhat immediate access to it and therefore this place is where it goes…the junk drawer.

Now, I have a huge problem with this moniker simply because it’s like admitting you have a need to store “junk” in your house as a means of permanent life. I feel strongly about words, so it’s no surprise to my wife that I’m fine if it’s referred to as the “catch all” or the “drawer under the toaster,” but not “junk” drawer. It’s really like you’ve given yourself approval for retaining dumb, tchotchkes organized near where you eat! Appalling!

What goes in these drawers both seem to be common and uncommon depending on who you ask. I’m not sure about your house, but in ours it’s where the scissors go, the spare keys to the cars, birthday cake candles, “aim-n-flames,” a spare USB-to-Lightning cable, etc. Why do we feel these things don’t have another home? Some of them make enough sense to be in the kitchen until you get to the car keys and spare phone chargers, but really where else would we keep these? In one of our dresser drawers? The office? It’s sort of (as previously alluded) a “catch all” for all of life’s random things that you do, legitimately need.

Perhaps it’s just me that this bothers on a fundamental level, but my over organized being can’t handle the admission of a mess in any fashion, not the least of which one where we prepare food. It hits me at my core enough that I planned to write this blog about the little idea around two years ago. Apparently, I have issues…

What do you keep in your “catch all?” Where is it in your house? Is it your car? The dark side of my psyche needs to know this happens to other people…

[kyle]