It wasn't on my list

I've made a list...and then I added to it. It's like a list all of us have made prior to making any journey. Some folks like lists when they go to the grocery story. I'm one of those who feel accomplishment when I check off items on my list. My wife will ask if I picked this or that up and I'll say "It wasn't on the list". So, as you might have guessed, I can get pretty tied to a list.

A list is what we practiced on in school when we were learning how to alphabetize things. You remember:

tuba
melon
almond
catnip
parsley
critter
title
appoint

And so on and so forth. Then you listed them alphabetically from the top (A) to the bottom (Z).

The list I've made was all the names of items people have given me to take to Haiti. Things like

soccer balls (including an air pump)
frisbee
tee-shirts
soap
lotion
dental floss
coloring books
crayons
silly putty

The way I listed them was according to categories. It wasn't in alphabetical order but in categorical order: toy - clothes - hair or body items - medical.

One thing I haven't done yet, is to weigh all this stuff. Now that will be important, because it can't be more than 50 lbs. I do know how much space this stuff takes up - one full suitcase, the largest allowed by the airlines. 

Next time you make a list, think about how you lay that list out: Alphabetized, Categorized, your personal favorites. I've got my list and I'm checking it off when I unload it. So, when my wife asks if I took this or that to Haiti, I can say "It wasn't on my list".

I guess I'd better get started on making a list of what I'm taking for me personally.