A crazy title for a New Year article, yes? Allow me to explain…several years ago, I lost my sense of smell after suffering from an upper respiratory infection. This loss also impacted my ability to taste; I describe it as a “muted” ability to taste sweet, sour and salt.

A funny thing occurred once these two senses were lost—my hearing started to improve. Or perhaps it was always great and I never noticed until two of my senses were gone. I can lie in bed at night and hear ambulances on Northfield Avenue, people talking down the street and music from the West Orange Arena on a summer night when our windows are open (and even when they are closed).

Recently I was lying in bed and I heard a very faint dripping coming from the toilet in our master bathroom. I called my husband into the bathroom to listen and he could not hear it. Don lifted the lid of the toilet and saw for himself that there was in fact a light dripping of water from the mechanism inside.

Fast forward to the plumber replacing the internal guts of the toilet. For several days after the house call I noticed that the sound of the toilet flushing was not (for lack of a better word) strong. I mentioned to Don that I was not pleased with the new mechanism and to ask the plumber to return to our home.

The next home visit proved me right. The plumber noticed that his predecessor had set the mechanism to flush with minimal water use based on a more modern toilet. Since our toilet is over 25 years old, it wasn’t adapting to the setting and was using more water by occasionally requiring extra flushes. Once the plumber adjusted the setting and flushed, my husband announced, “Now it flushes with authority.” (Hence the title of this article.)

So why write a column about this experience?

1. As a professional organizer, I am going into strangers’ homes for the first time to conduct a home assessment. With no sense of smell I am not able to detect certain areas of concern that I would need to know about to better understand the client’s situation. For example, does the home smell moldy or of medication, is there a gas leak, is the home musty or does it smell like a cat litter box that needs to be changed? These are all issues that I cannot identify without seeing them. However, my sense of hearing and compassion for people in need of organizing services keeps my heart open to listen to what the client is telling me.
2. I don’t take things at face value. I listen, discuss and explore. If something does not feel right, I dig deeper and find out what really is going on. Our little leak was minor, but over a few months and years it would have been a waste of a precious resource along with unnecessary billing.
3. Everyone has “something.” No one’s life is perfect. People have illness, sadness, loss, good days and bad. Sometimes we just must manage the cards we are dealt. My friends ask me all the time, what do I miss most of my loss of smell. My answer is the same…I miss the smell of a winter soup cooking on the stove, freshly cut grass, the smell of dirt in the springtime, passing a bakery and smelling freshly baked bread and cookies and my favorite fragrance (which I still wear). The flip side is I am deeply appreciative of my ability to see, touch and hear. I don’t take anything for granted about my health and am grateful every day that I can get up in the morning with a smile on my face and live my life. Some are not as fortunate.

Start the new year by listening to your heart and speaking up when something does not feel just right. I wish you a happy and healthy 2017, and remember to count your blessings!

Happy Organizing!

By Eileen Bergman

 Eileen Bergman is a Professional Organizer, a proud member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD). Eileen is listed in the resource directory for the Hoarding Disorder Resource and Training Group. Eileen may be reached at 973-303-3236 or [email protected].