July 27, 2011
My harem pants, that I wrote about in yesterday’s blog, were not the only item that was put away never to be truly enjoyed. I have made other purchases that were set aside, hidden from view, not part of my daily life. Now that I am creating a list of items that I lost in the wildfire, I am thinking about those items that were packed away.
Like the set of dishes I had purchased at an estate sale. A full set of dishes that were likely part of someone’s grandmother’s set. There were very small plates, the kind you see only in the movies at fancy dinners. Not the kind you see on my table at dinnertime. There were very small bowls, too small to be used for anything I could think of.
On top of the very small plates, there were three other sizes of plates: the dinner plates, the salad plates, and another set of plates slightly smaller. I was never sure what those plates were for.
There were teacups and saucers. A larger serving plate. And along with the very small ones already mentioned, there were two sizes of bowls, for soups and desserts. In total, there were enough dishes to feed 16 people with all the food one could imagine.
I had these set of dishes for many years. I had moved them from one house to the next, carefully packaging them up each time. I was finally ready to accept the fact that I would never host a dinner party large enough or important enough to warrant that set of dishes being unveiled. So, I was ready to unpack them and include them with my everyday dishes. Unpacking them, rinsing them off, and setting them beside the dishes in my cupboard was on my “to-do” list.
Then the wildfire burned down my house, and with it, everything I owned. Including this beautiful set of dishes that I had never taken the time to enjoy.
How many of us have items that we keep hidden away from view? Thinking they are too precious to use on a regular basis? Wanting to keep them for a special occasion? Not wanting them to get broken, chipped, soiled, torn, or otherwise damaged? Dishes, tablecloths, candles, cutlery, doilies. What items do you have stored away for those special occasions?
As I write my list of items I lost in the wildfire, I promise myself that I will never again hide something so beautiful away in a drawer. I will enjoy the items that are special to me every day while I can. I just never know when they will be taken away from me or when I won’t be able to enjoy them anymore.
Ms. Martha Urquhart 