I just completed a FREE printable for you and I hope you love it. It's my exclusive Get Organized Now! 2021 Monthly Organizing Calendar, filled with daily organizing TO DOs and inspiration to help you get and stay organized, and keep you motivated along the way. To access and print it, visit:
getorganizednow.com/free-resources.html

Happy organizing and happy new year!

Maria Gracia

P.S. Please forward this newsletter to friends and family so they, too, can access this resource. Thank you for spreading the love!

As I mentioned yesterday, I received a ton of GON reader notes in response to my January 19th Lost and Found Newsletter issue ...and I'll be sharing many of them in my upcoming newsletters because they're all so interesting. Here's another for this week...and I'll share more in the weeks ahead. Here goes:

Two times, I've found things it seemed impossible to find. The story I'll call 'Mama's Pearl Ring' began with jolting awake one midnight: I left Mama's pearl ring on top of the garden gate post! It'll get WET with the night dew. Now I was wide awake.

This ring was precious, three Mikimoto pearls (gray, pink, and ivory), Mama bought as a bride in Japan in the 1940's. She had given it to me with instructions to never let it get wet. That's why I took it off, to protect it from dampness or dirt, when I stopped by the garden before going into the house after work.

I put it on the six-foot gate post with my keys so I wouldn't lose it, knowing I couldn't go anywhere without my keys, so I was sure to know where the ring was, and few folks who happened to wander by could see it up there...I was protecting that ring!

Okay, out to the garden at midnight. Reaching overhead, I felt the keys on top of the post but NO RING! Must have knocked it off getting the keys but a flashlight search around the post yielded no ring. Back to bed, sleepless, Mama would be so disappointed. It HAD to be around the gate post. It was in the grass, getting wet. Back to the garden at 3:00 a.m.--no ring. Sleepless. Will find the ring in the daylight right where it fell into the grass at the base of the post.

Okay, daylight search in the grass around the post. Still no ring! Well, now I knew the ring wasn't where it 'had' to be, so, where was it? Now I figured a bird took it and might have dropped it. So I dedicated myself to finding where the bird dropped it. Well, good luck with that. Which way would a bird fly, and how far from the post would it let go of the ring? Plus, the freshly tilled garden soil was so light and fluffy. It was like sifted flour. Anything dropped would sink right down into the soil.

Nevertheless, I HAD to find that ring. How could I tell Mama I had lost it??? First, I searched outside the garden in the grass up to a number of feet away. Fruitless. Figured (counted on) the bird dropped it in the garden soil. I had to go to work, planning my search all day.

Back home again, I went into the garden and methodically searched moving away from the post, knowing I could step on the ring and drive it hopelessly into the oh-so-soft soil (it was a mighty fine garden). Okay, I would not stop looking until I found the ring that the bird took and then dropped (this was my story and I was sticking to it).

And, at last, about 20 feet(!) from the post, I did find that precious ring, sinking into the soil, but sticking up just a bit so I could see it. I could have stepped on it so easily, forcing it into the soil forever. How did it get 20 feet away? Must have been that pesky bird.

How am I preventing it from happening again? Better decision-making about temporarily placing things, considering I might not find it next time. Being more mindful about what in the world I am doing. I remain grateful to God for helping me find that ring. Mama's gone now, but I still have her lovely pearl ring.

Anne Hudson, Coos Bay, Oregon

Note to Anne from Maria Gracia

My heart nearly stopped hoping that, by the time I finished reading your letter, that your mama's pearl ring would show up...I was so glad it did! With all our TO DOs and everything that occurs in a given day, it's easy to place something down and then forget about it. Your reminder to 'be mindful' cannot be repeated enough...it's so important. Your story also brought to mind a short story, and organizing tip, of my own.

My mother (also no longer here) lost the diamond in her engagement ring years ago. She just put her ring on one day and noticed the diamond had fallen out of the setting. She turned the house upside down that week. Unfortunately, the diamond was never found. There were lots of tears. She doesn't even know if she lost it at the house...or while she was at work or otherwise out and about. My parents had insurance on it and she and my dad chose a new one, which she loved. But it was never quite the same as having her original.

Following that, she repeatedly urged my sister and I to have the settings in our engagement rings checked each year on the week of our wedding anniversaries...and we both do so without fail. Doing so is an organized way to help ensure the same lost-diamond experience won't be replicated.

The same applies to all precious gemstones, pearls included. A professional jeweler can help to ensure settings are secure.

This morning, I cooked myself a delicious Peanut Butter Banana Quinoa Bowl. I got this recipe from Justin Kaye's Plant-Based Recipe Cookbook. It was healthy and YUMMY!

These days, lots of folks (myself included) are heavily leaning towards a more plant based lifestyle. Research has proven that eating a whole-food, plant-based diet, is extremely beneficial for our health, energy, and well-being...and for our waistlines, as well!

Justin's Vegan Recipe Cookbook features more than 100 Delicious, Done-for-You, Plant-Based Recipes, that are super easy to make. He shows you how to prepare tasty, healthy, meals that you'll love!

There's no guesswork, and each recipe offers simple and clear instructions, so you can prepare your meals easily. It even includes grocery lists and meal plans!

If you've been wanting to get healthier and switch to a more plant-based lifestyle, this is a simple, easy, delicious way to begin. Grab your copy here:

https://www.getorganizednow.com/rd-plant.html

Happy, healthy eating!

Maria

___ 1. Do today's (Feb 12) Organizing TO DO. It's focused on your cooking utensils. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my February Monthly Organizing Checklist.

___ 2. Evaluate your current jewelry organizing methods. Is your current jewelry organizing method working? Are necklaces and bracelets hung and organized in a way they can be easily found? Are earrings sorted on an earring tree or individual comparments so they can be easily located? Do you have to replenish some 'backs' for some of your pierced earrings? Do you need to weed out some costume jewelry? Is the storage tool you're using for your jewelry collection sufficient for your needs?

___ 3. Don't forget to read my 'Pack Rat' article if you haven't done so yet. The wonderful, sentimental pack rat. So nice. So loveable. So out of space. Here's help for pack rats... Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access the article.

Get Your Free Pass
to the Heart Brain Online Event

February is heart health month, and I have something very special for you.

Most people don't know this, but the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain sends to the heart. Those heart signals contain a wide range of information that affect how the brain thinks and perceives.

These heart signals have a significant effect on brain function and improve positive emotions, attention, perception, memory, problem-solving, and intuition. It also greatly reduces insecurity and stress, which are huge obstacles to success.

When the heart and brain are in sync, your intelligence expands and you gain access to more intuitive downloads and meaningful insights. Heart health is not only physical, but also emotional. During the Heart Brain Fest, you will learn all about syncing your heart and brain for your health and well-being.

Visit this link:
https://www.getorganizednow.com/rd-heartbrain.html
to get your free pass to this online, eight-day event that begins on February 15th. Enjoy!

I'd love to hear from you.

I LOVE GON reader mail! Whether it's a comments, suggestions, or just a note to say hello, REPLY to this email with a short note.

And remember...there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
getorganizednow.com

(c) Copyright 2021 by Maria Gracia, Get Organized Now!

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-- Maria Gracia