Words + Dreams

What is lurking in the back of your kitchen cabinets?

I’m willing to bet that you probably have a kitchen.  And I’m willing to bet that in this kitchen you have cabinets.  And I’m also willing to bet that in these cabinets, way in the back, there are things that haven’t seen the light of day since you shoved them there.

I started thinking about all the things in the back of our cabinets the other day when, without thinking, I started looking for something.  See, had I thought about it I would have done the smart, the rational, thing and simply asked my wife where it was.  She knows where everything is – I don’t know how she knows, but she does.

But no, I was in a hurry and simply started opening cabinet doors and moving things around.  This was a big mistake, a very big mistake.  As I’m pawing through pots, pans, dishes, and things that I have no idea what are, I start asking myself what all do we have in these cabinets?

Unload, put away, forget

When we moved into our house we did the normal thing, we unpacked boxes and put everything away.  We tried, as we were putting these things away, to place the stuff intelligently.  You know, put the things you use the most at levels and in areas where you can access them easily.  Coffee mugs and everyday glasses go low, wine glasses go higher. Was that ever a mistake.

That’s how it all starts out.  And then, over time, things get arranged again and rearranged until you have some sort of order worked out that your family knows.  No one else might recognize this order but it works for you so what the hell.  And gradually, the things you use the least, get pushed farther and farther away.  Finally, all that stuff is out of sight and reach and you never think about it again. 

You never think about it again, that is, until some sort of fool’s errand sends you searching through the cabinets for something when you should have asked your wife for it in the first place.  And then you come face-to-face with all the wonderful things you own and don’t use – many of which you absolutely had to have because when you saw it on late-night TV it looked so good and would save you so much time, energy, and money.

And so, you stare at all those things and wonder just what on earth is back there, how long has it been there, does anyone in the family even know it’s there, and what should we do with it now that it’s come to light? Should you even care?

Just remember, unless you want a long, involved project, don’t ask your spouse, “What’s in the back of our cabinets?”