I wandered around the office supply store a while yesterday for work. I like to think about where things that are not paper and printer cartridges might be rather than asking. It’s kind of a test. Does my logic run the same way as the store’s logic? How many tries will it take to find the letter openers? (I eventually had to cave in and ask about the letter openers. They were on the aisle where I was distracted by the very idea that there are binder clips patterned like leopards. In other words, the letter opener was hidden by another office supply’s camouflage.)

I came in going full speed ahead. I’m full of new-broomness and also slightly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the tasks ahead of me. But then the supplies worked their magic. I’ve said before and firmly believe that what is being sold there is the idea of order. I need the idea of order. It may be fictive. It may not be achievable with a label maker and colored file folders and binders. However, browsing and buying soothed me, slowed down my heart rate, reminded me that it’s not just about working fast, but about working well.

I think I might want to pick up some miracle tape, too.

p.s. The title is a play on Wallace Stevens's poem "The Idea of Order at Key West," which you literature nerds out there already knew.