In my challenge to get rid of one thousand things I finally cleaned out the silverware drawer. It's driven me up a wall since we moved to this place three years ago, when we dumped any utensil that we unpacked into one drawer. And we own a lot of utensils.When we were gathering items for our outdoor summertime barbeque wedding back in 2007, we purchased a ton of cheap silverware from Ikea...no one wants ugly plastic stuff at their wedding, not to mention all the extra trash it would create. We gave away what we could, and kept the rest. The time has come to let it go and use the "good" stuff from Crate and Barrel that's crammed in the same drawer. But you can't purge your belongings without reflecting on where they came from and reminiscing a bit.
How many folks can say their fantasies have come true during their lifetime? I can raise my hand. Years ago, I jokingly made up a scenario based on the belief that if you envision something and believe it to be true, the universe will deliver it to you. So like any late-twentysomething single girl who is just starting to hear the soft tick of a biological clock, I conjured up a husband with the view that if that's how the universe worked, why not throw it out there? I crafted a very specific, once-upon-a-time tale that kept me and my friends entertained while I secretly hoped that maybe, just maybe, it would come true. And then, to my surprise, it did. After a few years of joking about Mr. Perfect-For-Me, almost every detail of my silly fantasy was right there in front of me-how we met, how he looked, who he was. I was in heaven and all was right with the world and beyond. Until...it wasn't. After two years, it became clear that it wasn't meant to be after all. My belief system was shattered and replaced with "be careful what you wish for". I moved on, finished with the universe and its cruel, teasing ways.
Not long after I had sworn off daydreaming of making room in my life for The One, he arrived. If you would have told me I would marry the man who would be my husband back when we met, I would have almost surely punched you in the face. I thoroughly disliked him. He was cocky, rude, and dismissive. Any day spent having to be near him was bound to be a long one. Until...it wasn't. A truce was declared, a friendship developed, and, well, here we are. The man I married turned out to have very little resemblance to the one I thought I would want, and yet I can't imagine anyone else to face life with. They say it's when you stop looking that you find what you want. I suppose I know what they mean, but I think it's more a matter of how you're looking than where or how hard you look. My thanks to the universe for turning my world on its axis and changing my view. Although maybe my silverware drawer wouldn't be so full...
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The purge continues...
45 spoons of every size
17 forks
21 knives
4 baby spoons
1 baby fork
1 set of measuring spoons = 89 things + previous 316 = 405
only 595 more to go!
Jenne, Almost fell out of the chair! I vividly remember the argument about the purple blankets *the ones that we ended up getting as Christmas gifts* and I think that at that moment I knew it was either going to end in a life time of bliss or with you bludgeoning him to death. I'm so tickled it worked out!! Much love to all of you! -K
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