Why do we do what we do? Why don't we change?

Today my son said something to me that made me think... and question far too much in my life. We were out buying a new shoe rack...and he asked me why I was buying it. We have a shoe rack. There is a shoe rack in the front closet where shoes are always kept already....It seems just fine...and I suppose it is. BUT.... it doesn't work for our family.

The old rack is in the closet, and it holds my husbands shoes... well actually, some of his shoes. When he bothers to put them in the closet and on the rack. Most of the time however, my family of three as at least 11 pairs of shoes thrown helter skelter by the door. It drives me NUTS. Apparently though, I am the only person bothered by the plethora of loose shoes. I trip on them. When a mouse got in the house it HID in one of them. They look like hell...and it cannot be good for the shoes. Shoes, that I might add, cost a small freakin fortune....

SO, I bought a new rack. A larger rack. I put it in the closet, filled it up with my husbands work shoes...and realized something. That closet is DARK...and small....It's hard to reach down to the shoes because of the coats hanging above. When looking into the closet, even I cannot tell the difference between the brown and black dress shoes...let alone the cordovan ones. No wonder he never puts them in the closet.... once they are in there...they all look the same. It's hard to find a specific pair of shoes. New rack or old rack.... this isn't a solution that makes our lives easier.

So what do I do now...and why am I thinking about what my son said? It wasn't the part about the new rack.... it was the part about the shoes always being in the front closet. Why are they in the front closet? I think 15 years ago when we moved in this house, it seemed the natural place. We take our shoes off at the door. So, shoe storage would naturally be there...right? It doesn't work though. Never really has. That area is cramped, and dark. We put our shoes up there, because we ALWAYS have, not because it's the best place for them....and once we put the shoes there.... I stopped looking for better solutions.

This year, it's time I look for better solutions. Not just organizing what I have....but really thinking...is the the BEST place for this? Is this where this items WORKS best? It's time to think out of the box (as much as I hate that phrase) and put ALL the options on the table....and pick the best.  Just because something has always been done that way...doesn't mean it's the best way...or the easiest way... or the way that will be best for this family.

This year, I am looking for solutions to actual issues...... ones that will make my life, and my families lives, easier and more organized. Onward and upward 2019!