Why is organizing your stuff, life, errands both a pain in the butt and conversely so satisfying?

Talk amongst yourselves.

Alrighty then…after a lengthy discussion with myself this is what I have come up with.

There are few activities more annoying than organizing your life.

I begin with the best of intentions.

For example, I order baskets for organizing the pantry.

I find myself sitting on the floor surrounded by canned goods, doggie paraphernalia, expired coupons, expensive water bottles and a takeout menu from a restaurant that I never heard of and yet, one hour later, it is strangely satisfying when the room screams fabulosity.

Perhaps it is because life itself is gloriously disorganized. Families are chaotic. Appliances break at inconvenient moments. Ceilings leak.

But a neatly organized pantry? A color-coded calendar? A junk drawer reduced from a Category 5 disaster to a mild tropical storm?

That is worthy of a victory dance.

There is also the intoxicating fantasy that accompanies organizing. As we sort and label, we convince ourselves that our future selves will become highly efficient adults.

This optimism typically lasts until the next most current Housewives episode

Still, there is something deeply comforting about imposing order on a small corner of the universe. We cannot fix everything. We cannot control the stock market, politics, the weather, or why the dog suddenly barks at an invisible ghost in the backyard.

We can organize the pantry.

For one glorious moment, life feels manageable.