The contents of your coat pocket is likely as clear a reflection of who you are, the stage you are at in life, your personality and your value (or lack thereof) on personal hygiene as any.

A couple of neatly folded, unused tissues and a package of gum with one piece missing says you are organized, concerned about fresh breath, prepared for a spontaneous sneeze, nothing is going to catch you off guard.

A pocket with scratched lottery tickets, a corkscrew, lighter, ex-girlfriend’s Valentine’s card torn in half tells us something else.

I was called to duty yesterday afternoon when my five year old was the recipient of a huge, stinging, terrifyingly tarantula sized, hairy, backyard, bark sliver. I reached into my pocket and behind the hand sanitizer, seventeen gently used tissues, three pens and loose change from various countries around the world, none of which are of any use to me here in Canada, out came the tweezers and the sliver was removed. Followed by a kiss and a Barbie BandAid from another pocket, the patient miraculously survived and as expected, is resting.

My husband asked me if I had any stamps the other day and I told him he’d find them in my coat pocket. He called back giggling, “Where in this pocket would I find stamps?”

He obviously hadn’t checked behind the lip chap, cake lifter, shoe horn, wine cork, jar of jumbo, garlic stuffed olives, stack of gas, movie rental, car-wash, grocery store receipts, series of candies given to us with family restaurant bills, fishing lure or zip-loc bag of raw, whole almonds.  Of course I had stamps, “Did you check behind the felt chair leg covers?” Did you need Canadian or international? Envelopes?

If there’s one thing I learned from Brownies—always be prepared.

If there’s one thing I learned from Hoarders—never throw anything away.