My Obsessive-Compulsiveness is Going to be the Death of Me - I've Noted It in My Day Planner

I have quirks. To some extent, we all do, right? Apparently, I have a higher proportion than most, so Phillip has lovingly come up with numerous names for them. In fact, he often quotes a line from Frasier (our very favorite show in the world) when referring to these oddities of mine,

"I've become attuned to her various quirks...eccentricities...bugaboos...bête noires...night terrors...that's the fun of being in love."

Very funny. Anyway, among my many idiosyncrasies is a paralyzing fear of fire, anxiety about bad news arriving in the mail, and an inexplicable terror of volcanoes. The sheer oddness of these oddities is extreme, and the obsessive-compulsiveness of it all has, I'm sure, made me rather hard to live with from time to time. I have called neighbors from restaurants asking them to look through my French door to make sure I had blown out candles in the kitchen. I have worried relentlessly while on vacation that we might have bad news in our mailbox when we return home. (To be clear, the only bad news we have ever really received in the mail was from our insurance company back in 2005. It turned out to be nothing, but it caused me considerable worry until it was resolved; since that time I worry about the many negative effects the mail carrier could inflict on my ability to sleep just by doing his job). Finally, the fear of volcanoes is the strangest quirk of all, as I have never even seen one in person, but to this day can not so much as look at a picture of one without shaking. (I even had to tape another photo over the cover of my college Geography text book, because guess what was on the cover).

Okay, so those of you who already know me think I'm crazy, and those of you who don't are glad you've never met me. I am really trying to do better about my worries, because I am desperately afraid of inflicting these same character traits on my little girls. As it is, Phillip must really love me to put up with it.

I have been a champion worrier all my life, and depending on my current mood, the worries can seem small or overwhelming. The fact that I am writing about this on my blog with self-deprecating humor is indicative that I know these fears are, for the most part, ridiculous and baseless. The fear of fire and volcanoes has been with me my entire life, and I'm sure they can be traced back to some television show I saw as a kid, but even so, I've never quite been able to shake those fears completely. I suppose that fear of the unknown has always been my biggest worry. "What will be on the test?" "What will the doctor say?" "What will the postman bring today?" You get the picture. You should have seen me when I was pregnant. It's truly a wonder that my children weren't born with gray hair and ulcers. But I digress...

So how do I attempt to combat this problem? How am I able to go about my day-to-day life as a wife and mother of two, who grocery shops, has play dates, and picks up her husband's suits at the dry cleaners? (You didn't know my life was this exciting, did you?) How do I not become an agoraphobic who hides in bed with a pillow over her head? I'm glad you asked. My secret is this:

Those of you who know me best know that I am rarely without this little item. Those of you who have known me longest know that I have rarely been without one of these at any point in the last 20 years.

I have had several day planners over the years. I think I received my first one was when I was just 9-years-old; it was a little aqua-colored plastic one that my mom bought for me at Claire's Boutique. As I got older, they changed in size, color, price and functionality. I get attached to each one in a slightly different way. Each one holds my life between its binding and when I inevitably upgrade after a few years, I must mourn the retirement of my previous one. Yes, friends, my day-planner is the secret to my success.

As a true aficionado of day planners, I have tried many and found much dissatisfaction with most. However, when I was 19, I discovered that you cannot improve upon a Franklin Covey Planning System. I have had three FC binders in the past 11 years, and have treasured them all. Inside the smooth leather binding is a world of possibilities for the obsessive-compulsive. There are calendars, notepads, and lines galore to record every possible "what-if" and "what-will-be" of my life. While it cannot keep me from worrying about fires, mail and volcanoes, it does provide me with a sense of control over the unknown. Don't settle for imitations, and for heaven's sake, don't go electronic! The old-fashioned-paper-pages-you-can-flip-through type is the best. I urge you to go out and find your own day planner; make it your own with accessories, colored pens, highlighters, and post-its. I promise, it will change your life, too.

(Yes, I take it on vacation, to church and even on my date nights. I can't help it. I am who I am and who I am is a wife and mommy who loves her day planner.)