I am drowning in piles. If the paper in these piles were water, we would be many, many feet above flood stage. The worst thing is that most of these piles are not even my piles. Most of them belong to Mr. Philately---almost like Pigpen.

Mr. Philately brings in piles as though they were gold Mr. Philately brings in piles as though he hopes to hide behind them if I ever decide to throw him out. Mr. Philately brings in piles as though the person with the most papers is most likely to get into heaven.

Trying to tame his piles is like trying to hold back the sea or tame the Mississippi. Suppress a pile in the kitchen and the bedroom piles only get higher. Stamp out the bedroom piles (or, more realistically, just dream of it) and lose the dining room table. I�ve tried creating places for piles but, when those piles have spilled over, he just finds new places.

Mr. Philately probably would say that I contribute to the piles and I do. But it is not the contribution that comes from having a piling nature. Mr. Philately might not believe it but I offer my office at work as Exhibit A. My office does not have piles and that office is the only space I have full control over. I contribute to piles here because I become discouraged and disheartened. If making the effort to file is not visible, I get lulled into thinking, why do it.

Today, after searching and searching for a missing item (which I never found), the White Tornado emerged. Unlike a hurricane, the White Tornado is local but, like a hurricane, it has quite a blow. It is a bit more localized than a hurricane and, while a hurricane is generalized destruction, the White Tornado is localized improvement. Now, the piles in the kitchen are gone. The piles by the computer are gone. The piles in my bedroom that threaten to creep over Mr. Philately�s side of the bed and then over mine, well, those would take a miracle, not a White Tornado.

And so, we have been filed---at least in part and at least for a day or two.

But, for Mr. Philately and his piles, tomorrow is another day.

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