Some things I wish I’d thought of first. Not for the money or the notoriety — for the chance to say aha! before anyone else.

Post-Its
(Do you know anyone who doesn’t use them?)

Swiffer
(Dusting goes from being a pain in the neck to being … a smaller pain in the neck.)

The names Post-Its and Swiffer

Anything that Steve Jobs came up with

The idea for a clip-on reading light
(Although I have yet to find one that doesn’t cast shadows on the ceiling, scaring the crap out of me and keeping B. awake)

Couscous
(Doesn’t get easier than adding it to boiling water, then covering the pot and taking it off the heat. Five minutes later — dinner is served. Sort of.)

The word couscous

Convincing boomers that the Schwinns we rode as kids are trendy again
(I’ve got dibs on the pink one. With the basket.)

The mute button on the TV remote

The take-a-number dispenser at the bakery

The black-and-white cookies at the bakery

The fresh rye bread at the bakery

Okay, the bakery

Suitcases with wheels

The library

Drugstore reading glasses
(What came first — looking good or seeing better?)

The little black dress

Lists
(And the legal-size yellow pads to write them on)

© 2013 Claudia Grossman