Aug 21, 2009

Seemingly Available Space

by Sarah Albrecht

I don’t think I’ll ever learn not to use Seemingly Available Space. Seemingly Available Space (SAS), in case you don’t suffer from this problem, is a conveniently open spot that you think you can use, but something else really belongs there.

Ah! I’ll think. A milk-jug-sized space in the fridge! I’ll just put this dish of leftover spaghetti there. And I do, without registering that maybe there’s a milk-jug-sized space in the fridge because the milk is sitting on the counter and needs to get put away. Or how about the iron’s spot on the utility room shelf. Yes, the perfect spot to stack the three packs of lightbulbs I just bought at Target. Slot on the bookshelf? Opening in the pantry? Bike-shaped spot in the garage? Invariably, I will delight in the handy space to put something new without realizing it’s barging in where something old belongs.

I’m not like my kindergartener. She came home from her first day of school totally disgusted with a boy in her class, whom she dubbed “A Little Five Guy.” Thinking her empty carpet square was available, he took it and, despite her insistence, wouldn’t relinquish it. Unlike me, she immediately realized that something, namely the Five Guy, was in the SAS. Ah, to be that quick.

The problem could be age related...so maybe if I go sit on a carpet square, I can figure this out.

7 comments:

  1. So that's what they call it...and I thought it was just being so full of stuff you couldn't process it that fast anymore, ha.

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  2. LOL! What a precious gift your daughter has: Clarity of sight.

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  3. Funny. I do the "stuff shuffle" especially in the fridge. After a big Sunday Meal my husband will take one look in the fridge and throw his hands up wxclaiming "no room!"

    Then of course he looks over at me as I saunter over and put it all in.

    He oohs and ahs about how I can do that.

    Now that I wrote this, I have a sneaky suspicion he has figured out how to get out of putting it all away.

    Oh, well, I like the warm fuzzies, so I'll pretend I neger figured him out.

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  4. Sorry about the two typos, wxplaining and neger. Strange words, that.

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  5. It was letters finding Seemingly Available Space.

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  6. I'm going to use that from now on! My life is driven by hurried cleanings and putting things wherever they fit because usually one, or two, or three of my kids are screaming, fighting, crying, spilling, bleeding, and even occasionally doing something amazingly cute, so time is of the essence and space is at a premium.

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  7. LOL...too funny! At our house SAS is any flat surface anywhere...heavy sigh. And...my letters tend to find any seemingly available space all the time! thanks for the smiles Sarah!

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