Things You Never Knew You Needed

Every once in a while, I am struck by the things in life that I have bought and use routinely that I didn't know would be so helpful.

Case in point, a stepping stool. I bought one for this house because the kitchen cabinets are very tall and because the master bedroom's walk-in closet is also tall and the top-most shelves are higher than I can reach. I bought a relatively short stepping stool with only two steps. But it has become an extremely useful thing to have. I use it for things for which I used to use a chair. But it's much handier to carry around the house than a chair. And much more stable. Although I bought it for my kitchen and closet, I used it to hang my new curtains. I used it to hang the pictures in my living room. I used it for at least a handful of other things that I am not even sure I remember.

A related purchase was a pole that I could use to change the lightbulbs in the ceiling. My previous home had low ceilings, not more than 8 feet high, and no overhead lighting. My new home has can lights in the ceiling. They are 12 feet high, higher than I can reach even with my cool, new stepping stool. So I bought one of those poles that you use to grab a lightbulb, twist it out, and put a new one in. Very cool.

When it comes to technology, I tend not to be an early adopter. I like to wait a while for new technologies to get the kinks out and drop in cost. Three new technologies in my life in recent years - the iPod Shuffle, iPhone, and a flat screen TV. The first of these purchases was the iPod Shuffle. I didn't want a full iPod because I couldn't imagine walking around listening to music. I still can't. But I use my Shuffles (I have two) when I work out. Much more convenient than even a cassette player and certainly better than a portable CD player when trying to run. About 6 months ago, I went running with my sister, and she used my second Shuffle. She has a Nano that she has used at the gym, but since Shuffles are much smaller and cheaper, she planned to get a couple more. I don't know if she did.

The iPhone was my next purchase last summer. I needed a new cell phone and decided to get a smart phone. I have a couple of friends with iPhones, and they seemed like they were cool. I wasn't really sure if I would like it, and now I can't imagine how I survived without it. I can check news anywhere. I can play games anywhere. I can check my AOL mail anywhere. I text. Much easier than on my previous phone.

Right now, I'm watching my flat screen TV. In addition to being bigger and clearer than my previous TV, it's light enough that I can carry it myself. My previous TV was too heavy for me to carry. And too bulky for me to carry, too. This one is much easier to shift if needed. And of course, takes up much less space on the TV stand.

So there you go. Five things I didn't realize that I needed until I had them.